The Alpha and The Omega
by Skye1963
Summary: AU going from preseries to All Hell Breaks Loose, pt II. The Virtues had found out that demons and some Angels were conspiring to start the apocalypse so they cause the Alpha and the Omega, two very rare elementals, to be born in the bodies of Dean and Sam Winchester. From the very first, they change the outcome of forced fulfillment of prophecy. Rated for violence.
1. Chapter 1

_Like usual, I have borrowed the toys I'm playing with. The lucky Eric Kripke actually owns the. This is an AU that studies what would have happened if the Angels opposed the jump start of the Apocalypse and the souls that were supposed to be born to John and Mary Winchester were kept in Heaven so the souls of two very powerful and rare elementals were born instead. These elementals were to circumvent the coming apocalypse. _

_Two Points to make-one is this is not Wincest but it does show the extreme closeness of soulmates. It may seem like it but it really isn't. The other point I want to make is the feeding of Sam by Dean when they first meet Bobby is actually an idea that made me think of Jean Auel's Earth Children Series where Ayla learned that babies could eat anything that an adult could, it just needed to be soft and easy to chew. Dean will repeat this action in a later chapter when Sam is incapacitated._

_According to Wikipedia, there are eight types of elementals, the ninth is of my own making. Enjoy!_

The Alpha and The Omega

Chapter One-Becoming

January 23, 1978, Lawrence, Kansas-

The night John Winchester's first son was born a blizzard hit Lawrence, paralyzing the city. John had to call the fire department since he couldn't get his wife, Mary, to the hospital as the roads were too treacherous. The EMT who rode along with the firemen helped Mary give birth to a son with lights flickering because of ice on the power lines…or so they thought. The storm was at its worst during Mary's labor but, after the baby was born and took his first breath, the storm started to abate. By the time Mary had put her new son to her breast to drink, the storm had died down completely. Mary looked at her beloved husband with tears of joy in her eyes and asked, "John, could we name him Dean Henry after my mother and your father?" John nodded, it was perfect. John had loved his father, the man had raised him by himself after John's mother died giving birth to him. John also knew that Mary had a special love for her mother who helped Mary buck against Samuel when the man didn't want her to date…at all. Then when John came along, Deanna took him under her wing and made sure the two young people were together as much as possible. She also gave him a feeling of being mothered after never having one in his life. So John was very okay with the name.

Both parents looked at their baby boy and marveled at his beauty. But it was his eyes that were captivating. They were green with a hint of hazel and they glowed softly. The Alpha was born.

May 2, 1982, Lawrence, Kansas-

Though it never was reported as such, a tornado went through downtown Lawrence at the precise moment that the second Winchester son was born. Mary's labor started two hours before he was born, a very quick birth. So quick that Mary was wrong when she honestly believed she had enough time to call John, get Dean to the sitter's and even take a shower before leaving with Dean. Mary was able to call John but that was it. She couldn't even call an ambulance since she had been packing in the bedroom when the urge to push took her by surprise. "It's too soon!" she thought. Thinking fast and knowing that John was too far away to help her, she called Dean and asked him to get a ball of yarn and the sharp scissors. She knew she would have to deliver the baby by herself with her four year old's help.

By the time John got home, the wind had picked up its speed and Mary was crowning. Before John could call out to ask where everyone was, Mary screamed in pain. John knew his wife was in the bedroom and ran up the stairs only to find his four year old son between his mother's legs, waiting for his brother to be born. John watched in awe, something holding him back telling him not to interfere, as Dean delivered his brother. The force holding John back eased and the new father approached his family. Without looking up from his brother, Dean picked the yarn up and held it out to John. Automatically, John cut two pieced of yarn from the skein and tied them to the umbilical cord. Then, picking up the scissors again, he cut the cord, releasing mother from son. As Dean took the baby to clean up, John helped Mary deliver the afterbirth and that was when all hell broke loose.

She started to bleed heavily, heavier that when Dean was born, John remembered. He tried to pack towels around her then ran to call 911. He was told that there were many trees and power lines down between his home and the ambulance services. It would take some time to get there. John yelled that his wife was bleeding to death and may not have much time to live. The operator assured him that there would be help for her as soon as possible. John hung the phone up and numbly walked up the stairs. He knew that he would be losing Mary just like his father lost his mother. He thought he would be walking into a room with a deathly pale woman on the floor so he was shocked when he saw his wife holding both boys surrounded by a soft white glow. Well, holding Dean who was holding the baby. She looked up into her husband's astonished face and shrugged hopelessly. She didn't know or understand what had happened but she was grateful for the save as she had lain bleeding to death.

Finally, after a couple of hours, the ambulance sirens could be heard in the distance and John went down to meet the paramedics. When he was gone, Mary looked over her new son, as much as his big brother would allow her to that is. He had a large amount of baby fine brown hair and the biggest hazel eyes she had ever seen. None of the names she had thought of would fit this child and she wondered what she and John would name this beautiful child.

"My Sammy," Dean said without looking up from the child.

"What baby?" Mary asked.

"My Sammy. His name is Sammy," the little boy said.

"Samuel was my father's name; did I ever tell you that?" Mary questioned. Dean shook his head and went back smiling at the baby. "How about Samuel Adrian, after my father and your Dad's mother? Her name was Adrianne." Dean actually thought about it and nodded. Samuel Adrian yawned in his big brother's arms. The Omega was born.

November 2, 1982, Lawrence, Kansas-

Dean had a great day with his baby brother. The baby didn't do much except sleep and eat but Dean loved him and was infatuated with everything about him. Within the last six months, Dean had to share his brother with his parents and that really didn't sit right with him, especially since he knew about the deal his mother had made with the Fallen Angel, Azazel. He really didn't understand how he knew but the fact was he did and it made him very angry with his mother. How could he protect his Sammy if his mother already sold him away? The problem was that Azazel had made the deal possible only by killing his father, making his mother desperate enough to deal with that bastard.

Now, Dean had to figure out what he was going to do about the deal. It had to take place but the Alpha/Protector didn't like the idea of his baby being poisoned with the demon's blood that was now running through Azazel's veins. He waited until his mother put his baby down for the night then he snuck back into the nursery. Looking at his brother, Dean smiled then he reached down and touched his brother's chest. Closing his eyes, he willed his brother's soul into his hand then, carefully cuddling it he said, "Night, Sammy. Don't worry, I'll protect you." Then Dean left the room. Before he got to his own bedroom, he looked into his parents' room and saw his mother. Carefully, without waking her, he went over to the bed and gave her a kiss. "Bye momma. We love you and we'll miss you." Then, with tears in his eyes for what was going to happen, he went back to his own room. When he got to his room, Dean put the little soul in the only real safe place, his own vessel. Then he climbed back into his bed and fell asleep. Around eleven that night, Dean awoke from a very deep sleep. Quietly, he slipped back out of bed and carefully walked to the nursery.

Exactly ten years to the second, Azazel appeared in the nursery with the baby. He looked at the child who was special, who was destined to be Lucifer's vessel and he smiled. Cutting his wrist, he bled into the child's mouth murmuring comforting (well, he liked to think so) words about how his blood was better than mother's milk when Mary sleepily walked into the room. Azazel, even as a Fallen Angel, was a being of his word. Since Mary was there, he took it as interference and didn't feel bad about her death even if she was his favorite. Because he was so occupied with causing Mary's death, he didn't notice a small glowing creature silently walk up to the crib and put it's hand on the baby. Mary did and she knew, somehow, that her oldest son was purifying her baby of the poison the demon had dripped into that innocent mouth. As she was dying, she did her best to keep the demon's attention on her until the glow left the room. It was her last gift to her children whom she loved very much.

Because Azazel needed John to raise the child, he faded into a corner of the room as soon as he heard the father's footsteps on the stairs. When John went into the nursery, he stood by the crib and smiled at his son who was awake and looking at the mobile, or so John thought until he noticed a drop of blood on the infant's bedding. That drop of blood was followed closely by another and caused the father to look up at the ceiling only to find his wife pinned there with her stomach slashed open. As he watched, flames burst around Mary, burning her as she screamed silently. John quickly grabbed the baby out of the crib and ran to the door where his four year old son was standing, waiting to receive his brother.

"Take your brother and get out of here!" John yelled before going back into the nursery, trying to save his wife. The demon showed himself to give John that extra push into becoming a hunter.

Flashing his eyes yellow, the demon said, "Sammy's next, John. He will be mine." Then he disappeared, leaving the stunned ex-marine standing in the burning room. John shook himself and ran out of the house just before an explosion blew out the window to the nursery. He swept his two sons up into his arms and ran the rest of the way to a neighbor's house where he called the police and fire department. An ambulance was sent because of possible smoke inhalation damage done to the six month old baby. They were also worried about the four year old since children were delicate when it came to extreme heat and smoke. Both boys needed to go to the hospital, John was told, to get checked over. What he didn't know was that he also was going to be seen by a doctor for smoke inhalation.

At the hospital, both boys were put in the PICU together while John had his own oxygen treatment done in another room. Neither doctors nor nurses questioned why the baby wasn't in the nursery or why the father was kept away from the children. Dean had suggested it so he could give his brother back his soul and he didn't want his brother exposed to any more humans that night. After the nurses left the brothers alone, Dean crawled into Sam's crib and, taking his brother's soul from his own vessel, he proceeded to put it back where it belonged. Then he gathered the baby and, with Sam's face towards him, Dean held the child for the rest of the night.

November 5, 1982, Lawrence, Kansas

John stood alone at Mary's gravesite. He had to leave the boys in the hospital since the doctors were watching their lungs very carefully. The other mourners had already left to go back to the church for the libation but John couldn't face any of them at that moment. Mary was his heart, his soulmate and it hurt to think she would never see her children grow up. It also hurt to know that John would never see her smile again or hear her voice as she sang or talked to the boys. He would never hold her again and that just broke the man. Never to feel her soft skin or smell her scent as he lay next to her. John saw a vista of very lonely years in front of him as he stared at his wife's grave.

As he stood saying the last prayers he would ever utter, John didn't notice two men walking up to him until one spoke, "Excuse me, I hate to disturb you at a time like this but I'm Agent Remington of the FBI and this is Agent Colt. We would like to ask you a few questions about the night your wife died."

"Can't this wait? I need to get back to my sons…" John began but he was cut off.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you had children. How old are the boys?" Agent Remington asked politely.

"None of your business," John practically growled.

Agent Colt flinched at John's growl but Remington didn't show any kind of reaction. It was like he had been through something close to what John and his sons had been through. "I'm sorry if we seem to get too personal but it will actually help us catch your wife's killer. We need to know if the fire that killed your wife follows a pattern of a serial killer we've been tracking. One of the signs it's our guy is that there is a six month old child and a fire that kills a parent, usually the mother. In two cases, the fathers who rescued the child said they saw a man in the room and it seemed as though he had yellow eyes," Remington explained. John sagged as he heard about the serial killer's M.O. Sam was six months old, there was a fire in which Mary died and John remembered seeing a man in the room who seemed to have yellow eyes. Seeing the question in the agents' eyes, John nodded. The man who killed his wife was the same man the agents were looking for.

"Was there anyone else who could have seen anything?" Agent Colt asked carefully.

"My four year old boy was there with me," John replied dully. "I gave him the baby to get out of the house. I think he may have seen something."

John looked down at Mary's grave again. He didn't notice the looks the agents gave each other. If he had, he could have prevented what was going to happen. Instead, when he got to the hospital a few hours later, there were three unconscious men in his sons' room and the children were gone. John recognized two of the men as Agents Colt and Remington. The police arrested the three men on kidnapping charges but the fact was Sam and Dean Winchester had disappeared into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two-New Family

Three Years Later-

Bobby Singer was enjoying himself. Sure he was hunting but it was for deer and not a supernatural creature that could tear him apart. He decided to grab some lunch around noon and sat down on a log to unpack it. He heard a small noise in front of him and when he looked up, he saw a very small child who had long brown hair and hazel eyes. As he stared at the baby, another child came walking up very slowly. Bobby noticed this child was slightly older and had long blond/brown hair with green eyes. Both children were thin, filthy and wore very little. Bobby looked down at the hand that was holding a sandwich. He felt a bit guilty eating while being watched by two very young, very hungry children so he offered his sandwich to them. The older one grabbed it and took a bite. He chewed the bite but didn't swallow. Instead he took the masticated piece out of his mouth and put it in the younger child's to eat. Bobby felt a bit nauseous but he also noticed that the baby ate the food offered. The older boy then took another bite which he again chewed but this time he swallowed. Every other bite was given to the younger child the same way as the first one had been until the sandwich was finished. Bobby then offered an open bottle of water to the children, wondering how they would handle it but the older boy took a drink then offered the bottle to the baby. Carefully, he tipped the opening to the baby's mouth and let him have a mouthful. He waited until the baby swallowed then gave him another drink.

Bobby watched in awe as the older child, not much older that six or seven, take care of a child not much older than a toddler. He knew that, legally, he should bring the children to Social Services to be put in foster care but there was something about the boys that wouldn't allow him to do so. It was the first time that he seriously considered having children, especially after the fight with Karen. He had been afraid he would become like his father who had been a drunk and an abuser. Five years after the fight and Karen's possession which led to her death, Bobby still felt guilty about denying her that one pleasure, the only thing she really wanted and asked for. Now, it seemed, he was presented with a do-over and he decided to take it.

Bobby gathered up his trash, backpack and rifle. He looked at the boys and went to pick them up. The older boy, seeing his intentions, picked the toddler up and allowed the man to pick him up. Bobby frowned. The boys were severely underweight, they felt as though he was carrying two large pillows. He knew that he needed to get them help but he didn't trust any doctor or nurse not to call CPS. As he walked towards his truck, he thought about anyone who could help and was close. The only one who came to mind was Jim Murphy. He lived in Blue Earth which was only two hours from where Bobby and the boys were. He liked that idea since Murphy was known to be discreet and he needed that now.

When he got the boys to his truck, Bobby was stymied for a minute. He had his hands full and didn't want to put the children down on the cold ground so he could open his truck but he didn't have much of a choice. All he could do was to make sure that they were out of his arms for as little as possible. Finally, after some soul searching and much juggling, Bobby was able to put his gun and pack down without disturbing the children in his arms then he opened the truck door and put them on the bench. Reaching behind the seat, he pulled a blanket out to wrap around the children then he made sure the seatbelt was on them. Bobby threw his pack behind the seat and hung his rifle up before carefully closing the door. Hurrying around the truck, he got in and started the engine. Both boys started at the sudden noise and he made shushing sounds, trying to calm them down.

At first, he drove slowly since he didn't know how the motion would affect them. After a few minutes, they fell asleep and he sped up. He knew that they would need clothes, food and other items and he prayed that Jim could help him get those items. Looking at the younger boy, he also decided that they would probably need some of the baby items also. Shampoo, soap, diapers, baby gate, training chair and so on were now on his list of needs but Bobby didn't mind. He actually was looking forward to caring for the two babies who had stolen his heart from the first look.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSD

Over the years, Jim Murphy had learned how to tell which Hunter was driving up to his door just by the way the engine of their vehicle sounded. Rufus Turner liked a quiet sound to his car while John Winchester's car sounded like it growled. Now, he heard Bobby Singer's truck drive up to the house and wondered why the Hunter was early. He knew that Bobby had been out hunting deer so he wondered if the man had already bagged his limit. When the truck stopped, Jim rose from his chair to greet Bobby when he knocked at the door. When the knock came, he answered the door and got a huge surprise. Bobby stood on the porch with a blanket wrapped child in his arms. Jim looked closer and realized that there wasn't just the one child in Bobby's arms but two.

"Bobby?" Jim asked quietly so as to not scare the children.

Bobby looked at the Pastor with tears in his eyes and he said, "I couldn't leave them Jim. I didn't even have the heart to give them up to CPS. Karen always wanted children and the last thing we did before she was possessed was to fight about that. Jim, I want to keep these two and raise them myself." It was on the tip of Jim's tongue to try to argue some sense into Bobby then he noticed the tiny boy in the other child's arms. He wasn't cuddling into his brother anymore but was staring at Jim with the most beautiful hazel eyes. He was locked in until the older child carefully turned the baby's face away. Jim blinked a couple of times then looked at his friend. Bobby was anxious, his heart and love for the children shone brightly on his face and Jim knew that he would help Bobby keep the children.

"Okay, Bobby. I'll help you keep the boys but first, we need to get them clean. Where did you find them again?" Jim asked.

"They were in the woods. I stopped for lunch and there the little one was. His brother came out of the tree line then," Bobby said, looking at the children in his arms.

"By the looks of them, I'd say they were there for a while. Did you notice if there was a cabin or a trailer anywhere around?" Jim wondered.

"Not that I could see," Bobby answered. "I was more worried about them being hungry and cold than looking anything like that. I got the feeling they were there by themselves."

Again, Jim noticed how tenderly Bobby looked at the boys in his arms and that decided him. "Okay, then. Let's get them in the tub so we can clean them up. Then, we'll try to get some food in them before we put them in bed. While you are bathing them (_me?_ Bobby thought) I'll be making some calls. A couple of my parishioners have children who are a bit older than the boys and I may be able to get some clothes and other things you will need. I do believe that we should get some diapers for at least the younger boy and maybe some Pull-ups for the older one since we don't know if they've been toilet trained. I'll also call around for some furniture for you, baby gate, beds, toilet training chair, and stuff like that. By the way, when was the last time your house was painted?"

"I think around 1970, why?" Bobby wanted to know.

"We'll have to repaint. You more than likely have lead paint in your place and that can be dangerous to children, you know. Also, we'll need to fence off a piece of your yard and make it a safe place for the boys to play. Let me call some friends and we'll work on it for you while the three of you stay here," Jim said firmly. He would help Bobby keep the boys but the price of his help would come in making a home for them.

"I don't want anyone I don't trust on my property, Jim. If you can get Rufus and Joshua to help you then I'll accept."

Jim nodded. It had been easier than he expected but he wondered how much the children helped in convincing the Salvage Yard owner. He had some ideas about who and what they were. Unlike many people, he wasn't afraid of them and wanted to help them have a good life. Instinctually, he knew that they would never hurt him or Bobby. He had been examined and not found wanting so the boys accepted him in their lives.

Jim led Bobby and the children to his bathroom where he drew a warm bath. Bobby put the boys down and unwrapped the blanket. Proceeding with the older child, he took the rags off and threw them away. Then he turned his attention to the younger child but was gently pushed away by the other boy who undressed the baby. Bobby understood that, even though he could touch the older boy, he was not allowed to touch the younger. The older child would not allow it but would imitate what he did so Bobby waited until the older boy picked the younger one up then he put both of them in the tub. When the warm water hit them they were startled but soon began to relax. Bobby picked up a washcloth and, after wetting it, rubbed some soap on it and began to wash the older one's back. Jim watched for a minute then put another washcloth and the bar of soap in the elder's hands and showed him what to do. The older one smiled slightly then began to wash the younger's back carefully. As the bath progressed, the Hunters started to see some scars on both boys that looked as though they had been cut or deeply scratched but nothing that screamed abuse. After watching Bobby and the boys, Jim went and made his calls.

The story he told was that a friend and his sons had come to visit but somewhere on the trip, they had lost the boys' luggage with all their clothes and toiletries. When the women he called heard that, they went into their closets and pulled all the clothes they could find that might fit the two children. They also gave many items that were bigger so the children could have something to grow into and their own closets would be that much emptier. One mother had an old toilet training kit, another had old Dr. Seuss books and a third bought some toiletries, especially diapers and Pull-Ups, for the two babies. Jim was a bit overwhelmed when the donors came to his door and left boxes and bags of items for the new family. He thanked them warmly and invited them in but to a person, they said thank you but they really had to get going. Jim went through the stuff and found some pajamas he thought would fit the boys and, with a diaper and Pull-Up, went to give them to Bobby to put on his new sons.

Jim then went into his kitchen and made some Cream Of Wheat for the children to eat. It wasn't very heavy for their stomachs and he didn't believe it would hurt them. He then poured some apple juice in two new sippy cups and waited for the family to come down. While waiting, he made some phone calls and got Josh and Rufus to agree to help baby proof Bobby's house. Besides Jim, they were the only Hunters Bobby truly trusted.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three-Discoveries

Ten Years Later-

John Winchester was a very bitter man. At one point, he had it all. A house, a wife, a job, and two beautiful sons but that had been ripped from him six months after his youngest child was born. A demon had killed his wife then, while he was attending the reception after his wife's funeral, his two boys had disappeared from the hospital where they were being treated for smoke inhalation. The three men who had been found near Sammy's crib were arrested but subsequently cleared of the charges of kidnapping. Afterwards, they went to John and explained that they were Hunters of the supernatural. They told him about a demon who would come into the nurseries of six month old children to feed them its blood then, if it was interrupted, it would kill the mother or father who was in the room. They confessed to John that they were indeed going to kill the baby if they could but before they did anything, a bright flash of light blinded them and knocked them unconscious. After John heard that, he left the men barely alive and bloody but that didn't stop his training and eventually becoming a Hunter himself.

He became a man driven to find the demon who had taken everything away from him and he didn't care who got hurt in the process. Many Hunters would run in the opposite direction when they saw him coming and many more joined his crusade. Jacks was one of those who were just like John, driven and zealous in his desire to kill anything supernatural. He didn't care if the creature was benign or not, just that it wasn't human. He had teamed up with John and between the two of them they racked up a high body count. Now, though, their transportation needed work and the only one they could go to was Bobby Singer, an ex-Hunter but one that did research for others. It was rumored that he had stopped hunting when he adopted some kids. Jacks and John both snorted at that. They had come to believe that families were just liabilities, something that made a Hunter weak.

Bobby was still well connected and they knew they would have to play by his rules if they wanted the work done. John's truck had seen better days but now it needed a major overhaul and with the weapons he carried in it, he would only trust another Hunter to fix the problems. John was told that there were rules when asking to visit Bobby's Yard. One was that he had to call for an appointment. Then, if Bobby agreed, you met him in town at his garage. Nobody, except for a very few people, were allowed to go to his home which was well protected by consecrated iron, sigils, devil's traps, dogs and his shotgun. The next rule was that _if_ you were lucky to go to his Yard which was attached to his home, you never went past the fence that surrounded his house. He was fiercely protective of his sons and didn't want anyone to bother them, especially Hunters. Third rule was if one of the boys were in his garage when you pulled up, you didn't talk to or even touch them without permission. That would guarantee you a permanent ban to his place. The fourth rule was that if you needed research done, see the first three rules.

It was rumored around the Hunting community that there was something strange about Bobby's younger boys. The oldest, Caleb, was adopted when he was caught trying to break into Bobby's house one night. His family had been slaughtered by a pack of werewolves and Caleb was the only survivor. The fourteen year old had heard about Bobby's stash of weapons and went on a scavenger hunt in Bobby's house thinking that the older Hunter wasn't due back for a while since he was on a deer hunting trip. He was surprised by Bobby and another Hunter named Jim Murphy who came back while he was there. Instead of having the kid arrested, Bobby adopted him. He had said that no child should be left in the world alone trying to avenge the deaths of his family members. It was also around this time that Bobby adopted his sister-in-law's children, two boys, ages 7 and 3, after she died in a car accident. There were many Hunters who believed the boys not to be human, though. It was just a rumor but one fueled by Bobby's own overprotectiveness since very few people had even seen them. Hunters, unfortunately, were prone to see supernatural signs in almost anything different and Bobby's actions since the two small children came into his life, was strange to anyone who had known him from before.

John had to admit to himself that the rumors of the younger children had him intrigued. Why would an ex-Hunter keep supernatural creatures alive much less adopt them, he wondered. As he placed the call to Singer, he ran through the scant information that was known about the kids. One Hunter had glimpsed the kids once and said that the younger one was always hidden from sight by the older one. The child had had a death grip on its sibling which the elder appeared to encourage. Another Hunter said that when he went to Singer for some research, he also saw the children along with the older boy that Singer had adopted. The younger children didn't talk but he said that it seemed to him they were communicating to the older boy. No sounds escaped their lips but the teen was patiently answering questions that only he could see or hear. At first, John thought they could have been using ASL but the Hunter was quick to dissuade him of that thinking by saying that, at the time, the teen's back had been turned towards the other kids making it hard for them to use ASL since he couldn't see them signing.

It was the last couple of rumors he heard that really made him wonder what Singer had in his home. It was reported that the reason only family could touch the kids was that the middle child was highly protective of his brother. One man actually had laid his hands on the youngest and gotten attacked by the middle child. Hospital reports showed the man had sustained multiple broken bones for his effort. Police reports said the man was a pedophile who attempted to abduct the child for illicit purposes and its sibling was protecting it. The last report came from a girlfriend of a hunter. She had seen the youngest child alone and playing in Bobby's Yard. Being someone who liked children, she went over to talk to it and when it looked up into her eyes, she said that she felt as though it could see into her soul. That's when the middle child came running over and pulled the youngest to its chest and hid the eyes that scared the woman so badly.

John knew that he was being cold and clinical when he thought of the children as "its" instead of boys. He just couldn't bring himself to imagine anyone with sons since his own had disappeared. The concept just hurt too much and, if Bobby's kids were supernatural, it was just better to believe them objects instead of living beings. That made it just easier to kill them. Maybe, he thought, if he could prove to Singer that the younger children were supernatural he would allow John to help with the hunt. Then John shook his head. From all reports, Singer loved those boys and would fight tooth and nail to keep them all safe. Something a good father would do. If the children did prove to be supernatural, John would have to take them out himself.

John tensed when the phone was picked up on the other side. "Singer Salvage and Repairs. How can I help you?" was the question an older, gruff voice asked.

"This is John Winchester. I was told that you could help me out with a problem I'm having with my truck." Then he used the phrase that he had been told was a code to let Singer know he was talking to a Hunter, "I want to get it fixed before hunting season."

There was a pause before the man on the other phone replied, "I have an opening two days from now at 1:00. I'll need to do a diagnostic on your truck so bring it to my downtown garage. Don't be late." Then the man hung up. John was slightly amused by the man's attitude but then, Bobby was an ex-Hunter so it really wasn't a surprise that he was gruff and abrupt. After a few seconds, John dialed Jacks number to tell him that they would be making a trip to Sioux Falls for the truck's repairs. After that, he took out a bottle of Jack and drank until he fell asleep, as was his custom ever since his children disappeared so many years ago. It was the only way that they and Mary wouldn't haunt his dreams.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSD

Bobby's day was getting a little better. He was finally done with his day at the downtown garage and looked forward to be getting home to his kids. It still seemed weird that he of all people was a father and not just to one kid but three beautiful sons who were smart, brave, and loving. He loved them so much that sometimes he forgot that he wasn't their biological father but it never mattered to them.

_Instead of staying at Jim's like he had suggested, Bobby decided that he wanted his boys home with him. He couldn't stand the idea of not having them with him and he didn't trust anyone to be in his home without him there. When Bobby, Jim and the children got to his place, they surprised a fourteen year old kid who had broken into his house. The kid tried to run away but Jim caught him before he made it out the door. The baby turned his head and looked at the kid who calmed down. Then the older child in Bobby's arms turned the baby's head away and into his chest. Jim, taking the opportunity, started to ask the fourteen year old questions. He found out that the boy's name was Caleb and his family had been killed by werewolves. He had started to hunt the creatures but needed some weapons. He heard that Bobby had an arsenal in his house and decided to try to get some while Bobby was out hunting deer. Bobby's heart went out to that child also and, within seconds, had a third son._

_When Joshua and Rufus came to the house, the resulting work that had to be done meant that the younger children had to be kept out from underfoot. Caleb happily took on that particular job and was the one who found out their names. The baby was actually easy. Caleb had been reading __Green Eggs and Ham__ to the boys and noticed every time he said Sam-I-Am, the baby's eyes would light up. "Sam? Is that your name?" Caleb asked and the baby's eyes grew wide and he smiled brilliantly. Caleb grinned in return then turned towards the other child. "He's full of beans, isn't he?" That child jumped a bit at that and Caleb wondered why. What did he say that caused the flinch? So he decided to say the words slowly to check out the child's reaction. "He's", nothing. "Full", again nothing. "Beans", ah that flinch again. "Your name is beans?" that got a frown. "No, not beans. Something else that sounds like beans. Hmmm…" Caleb ran through the alphabet in his mind and the only name for a boy that sounded like beans was "Your name is Dean, isn't it?" He knew he was right when the older boy's eyes grew large and the baby smiled brilliantly again. "I'm your older brother," he told the two. "I have to know your names in order for me to protect the two of you. Otherwise, how can I warn you if I can't even yell your name?"_

_Caleb was also the one to figure out that the kids were telepathic, especially since the baby had never talked out loud. He was the first one they showed all their gifts to and Bobby had figured out that the reason for that was Caleb was close to their age therefore more trustworthy than the adults. It saddened him somewhat but it also gave him a clue that it was an adult who had threatened them, making it impossible for the boys to stay with their family. But his sorrow didn't last very long as they started to ask him questions telepathically. After a while, he wondered if they would ever stop but he never seriously asked them to. It was part of who they were and he accepted them wholly. _

Over the years, with Caleb's help, Bobby taught the boys how to speak. With Dean, it was like he had to remember how to do it but with Sammy, it was like he never learned how. It took both Caleb and Bobby putting his tiny hand on their throats while they made noises. Dean wasn't very happy about them touching his baby brother but, since they weren't hurting him, he put up with it. It took months before the first giggle was heard from the baby. Then the sounds progressed, slowly, into consonants. As time went on, Sam learned how to talk but he didn't like to, preferring to communicate telepathically with them. They went through the same exercises with Dean but his lessons went smoother and faster since he had learned how to talk when he was younger.

The next part of the boys' training was just as hard, getting them to be potty trained. Again, with Dean it was a matter of reminding him of something he had already learned but with Sammy, it was harder since he had no previous knowledge or training. He fought them tooth and nail until Bobby despaired of ever getting the baby out of diapers. Then Dean stepped up and showed Sammy what to do. It took some time to get the little boy used to using the toilet but soon he was using it with regularity. Everything that Caleb and Bobby did with ease was foreign to the tiny child and had to be taught to him. The two older Singers found that if Dean went along with their training, it was easier for them to teach the baby but if he opposed it then there was nothing they could do until he decided it was time for Sam to learn.

Bobby noticed that Dean was the one that dictated who could touch Sammy and when. At first, he thought it was because of their years of being alone and that Dean was jealous but then he found out that wasn't the reason. It was actually a psychic named Missouri Mosley who told him who and what the boys were. Shortly after he brought the boys home, she called him with the information. She said that she had felt a powerful movement in the area of his home. He told her that he just adopted three boys and that was probably what she felt but Missouri was adamant. She told him that she was coming for a visit then hung up leaving Bobby to stare at his phone in confusion.

_Walking into Bobby's house like she owned it, Missouri went straight to the two little boys. The baby looked her in the eye and Missouri looked back without flinching. The older boy turned his brother's head again so he was back to cuddling into his chest. Missouri looked at the older boy and smiled, "It's okay child. He wasn't hurting me, you know. He just wanted to know who I am and if I can help. I'll make sure they understand and never hurt you." The older boy smiled then he let her give both of them a kiss. Missouri stood and gestured to Bobby that they step into the kitchen. She had some information to tell him about the children he just adopted._

_Bobby silently offered Missouri a beer. Grimacing, she took a swallow then passed it back, "Okay, now that you're done with that silliness, I have some information for you that will help with those two boys of yours." Bobby nodded and she went on, "Firstly, they are human, well they were born human but what they are, what their natures are is different. You know that there are eight different kinds of elementals, correct?"_

"_Yeah, heard about them but never ran into one," Bobby responded._

"_That's because they are generally benign, not inclined to hurt humans and, in some cases, are actually beneficial. They are nature based creatures who answer only to Angels. But, there is a ninth type of elemental that is extremely rare, being born every few hundred years. There are only two of them and they answer only to the Virtues. Problem is that they need to stay together and many people didn't like that in history. They had been seen as evil or, worse, demons but that's not what they are."_

"_What are you trying to tell me, Missouri," Bobby asked with trepidation. _

"_What you have in your living room is the Alpha and Omega, the two rarest of elementals." Seeing Bobby becoming upset, Missouri rushed and said, "You don't have to worry about them being evil, Bobby, just the opposite, in fact. By choosing you to be their parent, they have a trust in you that is not seen in many people. They have seen into your soul and heart to know that you are a very good man. If they didn't trust you, they would have stayed hidden and you would never have even known they were there."_

"_What-what can they do?" _

_Missouri was glad that Bobby was listening. It made what she had to say easier, "The Alpha, the older child, is a protector, a guardian who is also a warrior. He will fight for you and anyone you love but he protects the world against his brother's powers and his brother against the world. The Omega has the power to heal or kill, depending on the situation. He has the eyes to look into a man's soul as you know. Because of these gifts and the empathy he was born with, he's a bit unstable. Imagine what that must feel like, how overwhelming it is to such a young child to have all those images and feelings bombard him all the time. Never giving him a break." Missouri took a deep breath to calm herself then continued, "They both have a wide spectrum of psychic and psionic gifts that they know how to use from birth. But, they need to stay together until they can stand to be apart for any amount of time. At birth, it was a constant thing but now, they can be separated for an hour or so. As they grow older, their time apart will increase but they will always, at one point, need to have physical contact._

"_Bobby, these children are special. When they were born in the past, many people were afraid of the Omega. Even as a child, he was accused of being a demon, or a witch, or a changeling, or any number of supernatural creatures. They would torture him then put him to death. What they weren't aware of was that his brother would take his revenge out on the ones who had killed his brother. Now, if the child died because of natural causes, there would be no retribution taken but if he died at human hands, well let's just say that his brother would lay a path of destruction that would have worldwide repercussions. If it was a supernatural creature, he would go on an extermination hunt that would wipe out all the creatures in that area. On the flip side, if it was the Alpha who died, then the Omega would react in much of the same way except he would cause plagues and droughts to happen. Now, if they are allowed to live, there is a healing and a peace that is supposed to be wonderful but history teaches us that usually doesn't happen._

"_You will need to do some things that most parents don't. One thing is you will need to homeschool the boys. It will assure that they stay as close together as possible. Try to keep Hunters from them as much as possible but teach them about the Supernatural World," Missouri finally finished but Bobby still had questions, especially about touching the Alpha would do with the Omega or younger child. Missouri explained that it was a way that the Alpha kept everyone safe, by giving his brother what was needed. The Omega, she went on to say, needed the physical contact with his brother to keep him balanced and even. She also said that, as the older boy became used to the other people in their lives, he would expand his comfort zone so others will be able to touch the younger child._

Missouri was right, like always, Bobby mused. He would never tell her that but he knew she read it from his mind by the smiles she had given him the last time she was there. Missouri took it on herself to be the boys' teacher and aunt. Even Caleb had benefited from her teachings since it was found that he was a sensitive. Missouri thought that may have been the reason he had been at Bobby's in the first place, the boys had broadcasted their whereabouts loud and clear enough that it had pinged on Caleb's radar without him even knowing became a brother to the two young children with such ease that it amazed the older Hunter.

Now, she had told them, they were getting into unfamiliar territory with the Alpha and the Omega since, in the past, one or the other had been either killed or had died before they reached puberty. When Dean started puberty, he didn't do anything really different except that he started to notice girls. Bobby had to have the talk with him while Dean sat in fascination but, after that, there still hadn't been any real advances in that area. It wasn't until Sam was eleven that Dean started to go on dates. The first time he did, Sam stayed away from his brother saying that the girl's scent was all over the older boy and Sam couldn't stand the smell. It took Dean three showers to be clean enough to where Sam would even be in the same room with him. Another two showers later and the boys were back to their cuddling and touching, something they both needed after such a stressful night. After that, Dean was careful to let his dates know he was allergic to perfumes. He still gave them a kiss but, when he left their homes, he would carefully rinse out his mouth with Listerine. Bobby knew what Dean was doing so he gave the young man a key to his downtown shop since it boasted of a shower. There, Dean would clean up and get into a change of clothes, putting the others in a bag to be washed later.

The system worked beautifully until Dean had sex for the first time. It was also the first time that Sam hid away from his brother, not to be seen for a couple of days. Dean tore up the Yard with Caleb and Bobby helping in his search for his brother. When Sam finally appeared, Dean grabbed him and wouldn't let him go for a very long time. He carried his baby brother everywhere for a few days, always making sure Sam's head was turned into his chest, like he had done when they were first with Bobby. At first, Bobby thought that Sam would get used to his brother hooking up every so often but he never did. No matter what precautions Dean took before going home, Sam would always know and disappear for a while. Missouri was also at a loss as to help the boys saying that they needed to pray for a solution and guidance.

The solution came in two parts. One was Sam's first crush on a girl. It happened when Sam was twelve that he started to notice a girl who lived just a half a mile from the Salvage Yard. They had met while Sam was hiding from his brother and started to talk. Ever since then, they made time to meet each other until Dean found out. He had been out looking for his brother when he found Sam and Nadia sitting on a fallen tree, holding hands. Dean tore his brother away from Nadia and carried him home with Sam protesting all the way. When they got to the house, Dean put Sam down then proceeded to yell at him for being with someone other than himself. Didn't Sam realize that there was danger out in the world? People who would hurt or kill him? Sam shut Dean down by saying that if he, Dean, was that worried then he shouldn't be going out on dates himself since he wasn't there to help if trouble did come. After that, Dean stayed home. He hadn't been happy about losing his independence but he wasn't ready for Sam's yet.

Both boys were unhappy about the situation until the second part of the solution came to play in the form of Ellen and Jo Harvelle along with a boy named Ash. Ellen had been married to a Hunter named Bill who had died as a result of Hunting a demon. She had come to Bobby for some help with the kids in her care since she had to go get Bill's body. Bobby wavered for a few minutes then agreed. He had known the Harvelles very well and Bill's death hit him hard. Ellen delivered the two kids to Bobby's house a few days later, after being warned about his two youngest. She just shrugged her shoulders and said that the kids could keep each other entertained while he worked. She wasn't worried about the boys since she had met them and found that they were very sweet albeit a bit strange. Nothing rang her Hunter's bell so she wasn't worried about them hurting her own children.

Since Jo and Ash were close to Sam's age, he started to relate to them easier than he could with Caleb, even though Caleb was his brother. Jo had a crush on Dean from the first time she saw him and Sam watched with amusement as his brother ducked her every chance he could. Ash laughed with him at their antics, making Sam feel warm inside. It wasn't something anyone else could do except Dean but Ash was a rare one himself. Ash taught Sam about computers and the two hacked every system they could after a while. It had worried Bobby somewhat but he knew that Sam would have taken every precaution to make sure the Government wouldn't catch them. Caleb also liked having the Harvelle children there since it freed him up to have a bit of a social life for himself. Since Sam never reacted towards his sex life like he had to Dean's, Caleb became a chick magnet.

After Ellen came back with Bill's body, Bobby helped her give her husband a Hunter's funeral. She stayed with him for a couple of days before she took her kids and went back to the Roadhouse. She started to visit Bobby and the boys every few weeks, giving much needed balance to their lives. She was bossy, loving and the mother the boys needed so much so that Bobby started to talk to her about moving in with him. Even though her children were all for it, she felt that it was just too soon after her husband's death but Ellen kept driving up to visit with the Singers. All of them knew that, in the future, she would end up selling the Roadhouse and moving in with them.

Because of the Harvelles coming into their lives, Sam found it easier to share his brother. He still didn't like Dean coming home smelling of sex but he stopped disappearing for days. Now, he just turned away and slept in another room. Dean didn't like the new reaction but he now felt better about going out and having a life separate from his brother. He made sure to give Sam more attention afterwards, holding him like before. Dean also learned to let his brother have friends, as long as he checked them out thoroughly. It didn't help that he had a tingling in the back of his head when it came to his brother's safety. Ancient history told of times that he had been forced to watch as villagers and prelates put his baby brother to death for being different.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four-Healing

Caleb sat at the counter studying the Latin book his dad had given him. It was full of fascinating rituals for exorcizing demons and he could hardly take his eyes off of it. Sure, it was in Latin but Uncle Jim made sure the three brothers were fluent in the dead language. He was so engrossed in the text that he barely heard the bell on the door as two men entered the shop.

He jumped when a man cleared his throat. Caleb looked up sheepishly. He knew his dad would tease him about how Hunters needed to be alert at all times but thankfully he was in the back room. "I'm John Winchester," the man said, "I have an appointment with Bobby Singer for my truck."

Caleb put on his poker face and picked up the phone, "Dad, there are a couple of guys here to see you. Got an appointment, they say." Caleb listened for a few seconds then said, "Okay, will do. Hey, don't forget I'm going shopping with Ace and Tiger. Do we need anything else besides what's on the list? Uh huh…uh huh…okay got it." He hung up the phone and told the two waiting men, "Dad'll be out in a few. Got an engine that's giving him trouble. Said to help yourself to some coffee." Both men nodded and got a couple of cups of coffee. Caleb kept an eye on them for any reaction to the beverage since Bobby made it with Holy Water. He had figured that offering coffee at his business was less suspicious than offering a beer. He also had the blessed water in the water cooler for those who didn't like coffee.

Since the men were able to pass over the threshold which had a salt like on the top of the door, and drank the coffee, Caleb was willing to bet they were at least not possessed by demons, especially since they walked through the devil's trap that had been cleverly worked into the pattern on the floor. The only test left was that of silver and Caleb was ready. It had been a long standing practice of the Singers that anyone who came to the shop had to sign forms with a silver pen. Shifters and werewolves couldn't even handle silver since it would burn their skin. The mirrors on the wall didn't reveal any nasty surprises either and Caleb hoped that the cameras would catch any eye shine that would also let them know if they were dealing with shifters. He knew his dad was watching the cameras in the back for that particular sign. Turning his attention back to his book, he started to softly read an exorcism out loud. Even though he teased his father about being paranoid, he knew the man was trying to keep him and his brothers safe.

After having the men sign forms for permission to do a diagnostic on the truck, a reason to have them touch the pens, and observing no burns, Caleb got up and filed the paperwork while pushing a small button to let his dad know the two men had passed all the tests. John was amused with the whole routine. He had done his homework on the Singers to know that they would put them through numerous tests before the big man himself came out to see them. He had no doubt that the boy behind the counter was armed and that Bobby had a gun on them at all times.

It would have gone like usual if his brothers hadn't walked into the shop. Dean loved any reason to drive his car, a 1967 Impala that Bobby had given him for his sixteenth birthday, and Sam would ride by his side unless he was going on a date. Since he knew that there were store runs needing to be done, Dean had volunteered to pick Caleb up and do the driving. Caleb looked up when the bell above the door jingled and groaned. Then he groaned even louder since Sam had his glasses in his hand. They had broken and Sam was there to get his other pair. He didn't want to wait for his dad to bring them home since his brothers had promised to take him to the bookstore that day. Bobby had found that Sam's eyes wouldn't affect anyone if he wore tinted glasses so he had a friend make a couple of pairs for his youngest. Of course, he was looking straight at Caleb who was the end of a line of people that started with John Winchester.

John turned around when he heard the door and looked at the boys who had come into the shop. The older boy was around six feet tall, had green eyes and blond/brown hair which was cut short. The younger boy who was in front of the older one was small and slight, with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Then the younger boy's eyes latched onto John and his heart lurched. His eyes widened as he started to remember: _John was frantic. Mary was about ready to give birth and now this storm threatened his ability to get her to safety. Running into the house and calling her name, he hears her screams in their bedroom. When he entered the room, he watched as his four year old son delivered his brother._

_He watched his son cuddle, carry and take care of the baby and was amused when the little boy refused to let his mother even touch the newborn. It takes a lot to get the boy to let anyone hold the baby and only John was given total access to the child. Even Mary wasn't granted that privilege._

_Love, unconditional love, was what he felt anytime he held his boys and he was thankful for that. He could see the hurt in Mary's eyes when Dean flinched every time she came close to the baby Sammy. Then, she was dead, burned up on the ceiling after having her stomach slashed open. John grabbed the baby out of his crib and gave him to his brother to protect and care for._

_Heart shattered when his children disappeared after Hunters tried to kill his baby boy. Years of emptiness and vengeance take its toll on the man as he hunts the thing that killed his wife and was the cause of the breakup of his family. Yellow-Eyes mocked his dreams every night to the point he drank in excess. To keep himself going, he had to take out credit cards in names not his own, he stole and he gambled using poker and pool. He wasn't the same man who had married Mary Campbell and fathered two children on her. He felt unworthy and dirty as he stared into those hazel eyes. _

As Sam looked at John, the older hunter gradually became aware of a warmth creeping through him. One of forgiveness and love, something he hadn't felt in years. He felt as though he was being washed clean and cared for. A genuine smile graced his face as he stood looking at the young child. One that hadn't been seen since the day his wife died.

Jacks watched his buddy and a frown formed. He wondered what was going on until he too caught the child's gaze. _While on a job, Jacks met a girl and gotten her pregnant. He kept her with him since he felt he should be a responsible parent even though there wasn't any love between him and her. She died on a werewolf hunt being used as bait. The werewolf was killing pregnant women and Jacks had come up with the brilliant plan of using the mother of his unborn child to draw it out. But before he could kill the damn thing, it had torn her to shreds trying to get at the fetus. Something in him was broken and he kept using humans as bait for his hunts. Campers were wonderful baits for Wendigos, young people were delicious to vampires and rugarus would eat about anyone. Most of his live bait never saw another day but the ones who lived, he put down himself so they couldn't rat him out. When he heard about the kids being fed demon blood, it was just another kill to him, never mind that the kids were under a year old. His soul was made blacker with every kill he did._

_When he met up with Winchester, he was so far off the path that he had a special place set up in Hell. Alastair was eager to meet the man and would haunt his dreams of promises of pain and humiliation. When Jacks looked into the hazel eyes, he saw justice's scales tipped with evidence against him. Forgiveness was possible but only if he wanted it but he had turned away from justice a very long time ago and didn't care for forgiveness, just the killing of the supernatural, no matter who got hurt. _

Jacks trembled with terror and anger as he stayed caught in the hazel gaze of the child. His hands clenched so tightly that he drew blood as his fingernails dug into his palms. Sweating and pale, he continued to stare into those eyes, never seeing Bobby coming out of his office with a shotgun or Caleb drawing his own weapon. He didn't see that the boy behind the child had a knife ready in his right hand as he turned the child's head away with his left. He forgot that Justice was blind and carried scales but also a sword. As the link between Hunter and Omega was broken, Jacks uttered a strangled scream and rushed towards the boy with a knife in his hand only to come face to muzzle of the gun John now held in his hand.

"What the hell are you doing, Winchester? Can't you see that thing needs to die?" Jacks howled.

"What I see is a kid, Jacks. Not something to be killed," John growled his reply. "You need to leave and never come back. I don't want to see you again. Grab your gear out of the truck and get the hell out of here or, so help me God, I will salt and burn you."

Jacks paled then looked around to see the other weapons pointed at him. Scowling, he slammed past the boys and went to get his stuff. He vowed to himself that he would be back to kill the abomination and its brother. Since John had sided with the hellspawn, in Jacks' mind that made the other Hunter infected and therefore expendable. Same with Singer and his other sons. All of them must die, he thought.

After Jacks stormed out of the shop, John carefully approached the boys. Kneeling down so they were taller than he was, therefore not threatening, he looked up and asked, "Are you two okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Dean looked down at his little brother then back at John, "Naw, we're okay. Just a bit shook up, that's all."

Bobby and Caleb walked up and flanked the Hunter. Neither of them had put their weapons away and John understood why. He had broken one of the rules-he had talked to Bobby's children without permission. Idly, John wondered if the shotguns were filled with rock salt or regular shot. Rock salt would hurt like hell but regular shot would kill him at the distance they were at from him. Though, common sense told him that Bobby would never shoot while he stood close to the boys.

"Dean, why don't you, Sam and Caleb go to the store while I have a talk with Mr. Winchester," Bobby's words shocked John to the very core of his being. His babies' names had been Dean and Sammy.

"Okay, dad. Um, we actually came in to tell you Sammy's glasses broke and he needed his spare set and they're in your office," Dean said.

"Well, go back and get them then get going. I'll be home for dinner so make sure it's done and your homework is also done. I want to check it later. Oh and there's a package at the post office waiting for me so will you pick it up?" Bobby asked idly while studying John.

"Sure will," Caleb responded while the other boys went to the office. Like usual, Dean kept Sam very close to him, shielding him from stares that the Hunter was giving them. Caleb's own protective instincts had kicked in after Jacks had such a strong reaction to Sam's gaze. When that happened in the past, it meant bad news since the person who reacted like that had something very wrong with them. It was the reason why Bobby implemented his rules. It kept Dean and Sam safe which was something that Caleb could get behind.

After the boys came back from the office, the new pair of glasses on Sam's face, they walked up to the trio. Caleb broke off to join them and, as they started out the door, Sam turned to the older men and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do anything bad."

Bobby went over to his son and gave him a hug, "It's okay, kiddo. I know that and you don't have to worry, it's automatic and there's nothing you can do about it. Just go on and have a good time at the bookstore." Sam smiled then joined his brothers as they left the shop. Bobby then turned to the stricken Hunter.

"They…how…what…" John stuttered.

"Sorry about that. If I knew my son had broken his glasses, I would have had Caleb bring him the extra pair sooner. Usually, he hides his eyes so he can go out in public without any problems," Bobby said.

John's Hunter mind battled with the Father mind until the Father won, "How did you find them?" He asked, meaning the younger boys.

"Well, Caleb was caught trying to steal from me," Bobby explained. "The other two I actually found while deer hunting. Sam was three at the time and Dean was four." He didn't think that hiding the boys' names would do any good especially since he was the one who dropped the ball when talking to Dean. "Jim Murphy helped me with the paperwork for all three of them and I've been their daddy ever since."

"Did Dean ever say anything about his family?" John wanted to know.

"No, not really. He did say that he and his brother were loved but for their safety and the safety of their only living parent, they had to leave," Bobby revealed. He wondered what was going on since John looked as though he was in pain. "Why?"

John honestly didn't know what to say. He wanted to find out if the boys could be his sons but then this man had raised them for the last ten years, he was their father and had a better claim to them than John did. Finally, he came to a decision and prayed it was the right one, "My…my wife was killed six months after our youngest was born. I...I…I walked into the nursery, thought I heard something and there was Sammy, awake and alert. He was always such a strange little guy, only really happy with his brother but that night, there was something off about him. Something missing. I didn't really have time to find out what happened because a couple of red drops fell by his head and I looked up. There was my beautiful wife, Mary, on the ceiling and bleeding from an open wound in her stomach. I watched her and…and fi…fire burst around her. I…I…I picked up my baby and ran to the door where my other son was standing and I put Sammy in Dean's arms and told him to take care of his brother. Then, I went back to see if I could rescue my wife. There was a yellow eyed man…er demon in the room. He smiled and told me Sammy was next, that he was the demon's." Tears fell from John's eyes as he purged the poison from his soul.

"Then, after Mary's funeral, two guys who said they were investigating the fire, asked me about what happened. They told me that a serial killer was going around and killing the mothers of six month old children. They asked me the ages of my kids and I ended up revealing that bit of information. I went to the reception that the church had given but when I got back to my babies who were in the hospital, all I found in their room was three men, two of which were the ones who had questioned me. The boys were gone and I never found them. Cops had no clues and had to let the bastards go. I caught up with them and they told me about the demon and that the kids had been fed his blood so they were infected. They had been killing the kids when they found them. They had gone to the hospital to kill my babies."

"What did you do to them?" Bobby asked softly.

"Not as much as they deserved," John confessed. "I beat the hell out of them but I left them alive. Because of them, I lost my sons." Tears fell thickly out of his eyes and Bobby, like he would do for one of his children, gathered the hurting man into his arms and comforted him, rocking slightly.

He didn't know how long he sat comforting the other man but Bobby slowly became aware that John had fallen asleep in his arms. Grimacing, he was very glad that Caleb or Dean hadn't come back since they loved to get blackmail information on him. Gently lowering the man onto the floor, he got up and dusted himself off. Then he went to his office and got a blanket and pillow he had kept there for the boys when they were growing up. Coming back out of the office, he found that John had woken up and was blearily looking around.

"You okay?" Bobby asked carefully, not wanting to upset the other man.

"Yeah, I guess. What happened?" John wondered.

Bobby took a minute before he answered. Finally he said, "You were infected, sick from what happened to you. My guess is that you were healed but since you were so sick, it took a lot out of you."

"What do you mean, infected?"

"What happened to you all those years ago was poisoning your system. If you had given into it, you would not been able to handle the healing, like your friend. Because you still were clinging onto the love you had for your family, you were able to be healed. Even if you had had just an atom of love, you were healable," Bobby tried to explain.

"Huh? I don't understand. Who healed me and when?" John asked.

Bobby sighed and said, "Let's get you off the floor and get your truck into my shop. I'll tell you everything over dinner. As warded as my shop is, it's still not safe to talk about such things here." John looked at him with a searching gaze then nodded. Taking the hand that Bobby held out, John got off the floor. For the next few hours, the two men did diagnostic tests on the truck. Then, at five, Bobby had John follow him out to his Salvage Yard where they would spend the next week overhauling the truck's engine.

John parked the truck out by the garage and looked around. There were many junked cars in the process of being scrapped. Many neat piles of parts were laying around being cleaned and fixed. By the garage was a storage shed where the finished parts ended up. Beyond the Yard was a fence surrounding a house. Bobby got out of his own truck and gestured for John to get his gear and follow him. They went past a 1967 black Impala in cherry condition that made John itch to touch and examine but he kept walking. He hoped that later he would have a chance to check it out. The Impala was parked next to a black SUV. Bobby led him through the fence gate where John saw a two story house surrounded by a well-kept yard. Three dogs were on the porch watching the men approach, their tails thumping when they saw Bobby. When their head turned towards John, he could have sworn they licked their lips in anticipation of a meal but they let him enter the house unmolested.

Inside, John saw a living room with a desk, fireplace, bookcase, couch, chairs and a television. To his left was a dining room with a kitchen that was separated by a pocket door. Stairs were in front of him with a bedroom just beyond the stairway. Bobby led the way upstairs to a bedroom where he had John stow his gear. He showed John where the bathroom and linen closet was before taking him back down. They went to the kitchen where Caleb, Dean and Sam were. Caleb was setting the table while Dean was stirring food cooking on the stove. Sam was on Dean's back, a scene that was familiar to the other Singers. Usually, Dean carried his brother in his arms but if he needed them, Sam was then put on his back. Missouri's explanation of the need for physical contact helped them to accept the situation. If Sam was doing something, he got down, did the chore then went back to being held. It was the reason why Dean's dates were hard on him. Bobby knew that the events of the afternoon had upset both brothers to the point that Dean was insisting that his brother stick to him like a limpet.

"Hey dad," all three boys called out in a greeting then went back to their chores.

"Hey guys. Uh, we need another place…" Bobby trailed off as he counted the plates set out for dinner. There were five and he raised his eyebrows. Caleb saw what he was looking at and pointedly looked at his brothers. Bobby grinned and got out a couple of beers. "Do you need any help?"

"Naw, we got it. Dinner should be done in fifteen minutes so you have time to drink your beers and wash up," Caleb said grinning.

"Okay, idgit. We'll be in the living room. Anything interesting in the mail?"

"Couple of bills, some checks and a request for research on a leshi. Guy thinks there's one in Maine so he's asked for information. Ellen called, Jim called, Missouri called and threatened that if you don't call her back, she's going come out and hit you with her spoon," Caleb relayed. Sam giggled at that and Bobby grinned. He really loved to hear Sam's voice since the young boy didn't like to vocalize very much. Most of his communication was telepathic or through sign language, no matter how much the others encouraged him to use his voice.

"Okay, holler when you're ready or if you need any help," Bobby said then, giving a beer to John, he led his guest into the living room. Since they just had a very short time before dinner, they kept the conversation light and about nonsensical things.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five-Revelations

It was only after the boys went upstairs to go to bed that Bobby and John had their long overdue talk. John had been a bit shocked to see how Sam and Dean were during dinner. The two sat on a bench close together, touching every so often. He watched how the others handled it so he could take his cues from them. For Caleb and Bobby, the boys' actions were perfectly normal so they didn't say anything except to ask for them to pass the food. Dean talked about a date he had wanted to go on but had cancelled. Caleb talked about some hunt that a Hunter named Joshua was talking about having him along on. Bobby talked about the parts that John's truck would need and the fact that a '56 Bellaire would be coming in to be worked on. The owner wanted it restored, no matter the cost. Bobby then asked if Dean would like to work on the classic. Dean's eyes gleamed in excitement and he said yes. Sam never spoke a word but the other three Singers talked to him like he had been asking questions. Sometimes, they would laugh like he had said something funny but John never heard a word.

The rest of the evening went on the way his evenings with his own family had, with lots of laughs, arguments, and activities until Bobby looked at the clock and told his younger sons it was time for bed. Caleb went to his room also, knowing that his father wanted to talk to the Hunter. The three boys gave Bobby hugs and kisses then turned to John who also got hugs before they went upstairs. John felt a bit empty when the boys left but also a bit nervous for the conversation that he knew had to be finished.

Both men sat for a few minutes while Bobby gathered his thoughts. "What do you know about elementals?" he asked.

"Not much," John admitted. "I've never run into one that I know of. I have heard that there are eight types of them and they're nature based creatures but that's all I really know."

"Real shy too. Don't like to show themselves to humans much," Bobby said. "But you're wrong about how many types there are. There are nine types. The ninth isn't really known to too many people since it is very rare, only being born every so often and there are only two in that group. The first, the Alpha, is born never more than five years before the second which is called the Omega. They are also born human, something the other elementals are not. The Alpha is the Guardian of not only humanity but especially of the Omega. The Omega is different and hard to explain. He or she is like judgment personified. I know I'm messing this up but, hmmm, have you ever seen the statue of Lady Justice?" Bobby tried a different path.

"Yeah, the statue that's usually associated with law and courts," John identified.

"That's the one. Okay, the Alpha is the sword that she has in her hands, the enforcement of the law but in his case, the sword is protection. The Omega is the scales of justice that she's holding. He seeks balance and if the scales tip too much in one direction, say if a person is sick or hurting, then he would help that person. If a person is evil, then his or her evil is exposed to the world. The blindfold that the statue wears says that justice is blind but for the Omega, it is that justice is seen when the eyes are exposed."

"Meaning?" John asked.

"He can see into your soul and find out what kind of person you really are. If you are in pain or sick, he will heal you but if you are evil for evil's sake, then you are exposed, revealed as who you really are. Unfortunately, for the Omega, nobody likes their evil side showing. Most truly evil people work in the shadows, hiding who they really are so that means the Omega is in constant danger. The Alpha's job is to protect the Omega from harm and to protect humans from the Omega. If you look too long into judgment's eyes, you can go crazy or die. The Alpha makes sure that doesn't happen. Thing is, also, that if you have been touched by the Omega and healed, then the eyes hold no more power over you. You can then look him in the eyes, especially if you're family. It's only the initial meet and greet that can be traumatic, if you know what I mean," Bobby clarified.

Remembering gazing into hazel eyes made John shiver, "Yeah, I do."

Bobby grinned at John's answer. He remembered his own first meeting with Sam and how that felt. Then he got serious, "Well, part of this type of elemental is that the two need to stay together. Physical contact strengthens their bond and it helps to keep them alive. Literally. The touch is needed constantly when they are younger but the need lessens as they grow older. Unfortunately, in earlier times, the people who were exposed to the Omega didn't like it very much and would put him to death by either exposure or other means. When that happened, the Alpha would go crazy and start to kill those who had hurt his brother before he himself died. If it was the Alpha who was killed, the Omega would do the same thing. If their deaths occurred because of natural means or because of an accident, no other people would die except for their sibling. Unfortunately, that means that the Omega never reached the age of ten in the past."

Bobby could see that John was trying to assimilate the information he had just been given. "How can you tell if they've been born?" John asked, wanting more information.

"From the research I've done, when they are born, there is a 'force of nature' that shows itself. That means, depending on where they are born, it could be a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or…"

"A blizzard," John finishes. "Oh, God, Bobby, when my oldest child was born, there was a blizzard. The roads were so slick I called the fire department to get Mary to the hospital. She ended up giving birth in the EMT's vehicle. Then my youngest was born four years later and there was a tornado that went through downtown Lawrence. Is that what you're talking about?"

Bobby wasn't surprised. Dean had already let him know that John was the boys' birth father but assured him that they would always be his sons. Bobby knew that John had to come to the realization of who Sam and Dean were by himself otherwise it would be a disaster. "Yep, exactly what I'm talking about."

John was shocked and his next question came out in a whisper, "Are they my sons?"

"Yeah they are, John. Dean recognized you at the shop and let me know. He said you had to figure it out by yourself otherwise you would never accept them for who they are," Bobby said.

"What about the demon's blood that was fed to Sam? Isn't he infected now?"

"No, Dean told me that before Azazel, the one you call the yellow-eyed demon, came to fulfill his bargain with your wife, Dean removed Sam's soul so it wouldn't get tainted and poisoned. After Azazel did the deed, Dean healed Sam, cleansed the blood from his system and put his brother's soul back into his 'vessel' as he put it. John, one thing you need to know about elementals is that they answer to Angels but the boys? They answer to the Angelic Choir known as Virtues only. They are highly gifted and many of those gifts are similar in nature to that particular Choir," Bobby revealed.

John felt as though his head was spinning. His sons a rare type of elemental that had Angelic powers? He wondered if he was crazy after all this time. Bobby saw his conflict and decided to take the man out of his misery. "They want you to stick around. Dean thinks that you should get to know Sam and vice versa. Sam doesn't remember you much, just a fuzzy image and very warm feelings. Caleb and I talked it over and we want you to stay with us. You need to get to know your sons, our sons to complete your healing and, by the way, they pretty much won't take no for an answer." Bobby grinned when he said the last since he could see the man's eyes light up and knew that John would now stay. He would become the second father Sam and Dean needed. Getting up and patting the other man's shoulder he said, "Time for bed. Got your truck to start working on plus a couple of other cars. I hope you know how to work on cars and trucks."

"Yeah, before I lost my family I was a mechanic," John said.

"Huh, well you now have a family again so I guess that means that you will be turning mechanic again. Hunter/mechanic, what a combination. Love it!" Bobby laughed as the two men started upstairs. Bobby allowed John to look in on their sons before going to bed themselves. Opening the door, John saw Dean curled around Sam in a king sized bed, both soundly asleep. It was a sight that he thought he would never see again and his eyes filled with tears once again. Swiping at them, he silently laughed at himself for all the crying he had done that day. When he finally did make it to bed, John honestly didn't think he would sleep but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

The first morning of his new life was, to say the least, interesting. First off, he woke up later than he usually did. Sniffing the air, he could smell coffee and bacon which spurred his morning routine to be rushed. Coming down the stairs he could hear Dean and Caleb's voices in the kitchen. Wanting coffee, he went to the kitchen then just stood in the doorway drinking in the scene. Sam was sitting at the table with a tablet of paper in front of him and a pencil in his hands, Dean was taking eggs out of the refrigerator while Caleb was operating the toaster.

"I still say that I should get the attic. I'm older and when Ash and Jo come live with us, we'll need the extra room on the second floor. Ash and me can use the attic as our bedrooms. You guys, Jo and John can have the second floor with one room as a guest bedroom and Dad and Ellen can have the room on this floor," Caleb was saying.

"No way! We are not going to be stuck on the same floor as Jo! Come on, she'll be bugging me all the time," Dean whined. "Ash should have our room and we can share the attic with you." Sam just rolled his eyes and continued to draw.

"_How about an addition to the house? Dad can put extra rooms on this floor, the second floor and we can expand the attic where you, Dean, me and Ash can have the attic. We would need to have another bathroom and some closets added anyway. That way, we can have rooms for Uncle Jim, Uncle Josh, Uncle Rufus, and Aunt Missouri," _Sam said telepathically.

"You're right about more bathrooms, Tiger," Caleb said aloud. "Girls stay in there forever. We would need a couple more anyway. Huh, it could work. What do you think, Dean?"

"Baby brother does have a point but you know what Dad will say, don't ya?

Three voices rang out, "Idgits! Do you think I'm made of gold?" John laughed hard. He didn't know Bobby that well but it sounded like something his own father would have said.

Bobby chose that moment to come up behind John and, nudging the other man into the kitchen, he asked, "What are the three of you plotting this time?"

Again, three voices rang out innocently as Sam closed his book, "Nothing."

Caleb then said, "Coffee is ready and breakfast is coming up as soon as geek boy clears the table."

Sam glared at Caleb then, with Dean's encouragement, grabbed the flour out of the cupboard telekinetically and dumped it on his oldest brother's head. As Caleb sputtered and tried to brush the stuff out of his hair, Dean grabbed Sam and ran out of the back door. Caleb took off after the pair threatening retribution leaving the two older men laughing and rolling on the floor. After catching his breath, Bobby then said, "I guess it's up to us to get breakfast ready. Can you get the broom and dustpan out so the idgits can clean up their mess?" With eyes dancing, John found the equipment with Bobby's instructions then went to help finish the meal.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six-Threatened

It had been six months since John joined the Singer household and he loved every minute of it. The other members of the family, when they heard of his "adoption" came to meet and greet him. Josh, Rufus, Missouri, Ellen and her kids, and Jim all brought gifts and told him that he was very welcome in the family. Jim, who John had dealt with before, took the man aside and said that he was very happy that he finally found his sons. Missouri also talked to John about the boys, letting him know more about what and who they were. Rufus and Josh made sure that he knew to have beer ready for them whenever they came over while Ellen mothered him so much that he tried to hide but the kids gave up his hiding place. The Hunters of the group taught John much more than what he knew, especially more effective exorcisms.

Even with the adjustments that had to be made, the fights over stupid things and the misunderstandings, there was so much laughter and love that it made John's heart swell. Bobby had even gone so far as to make him a partner in the business so he could earn money for his Hunts. John started to take Caleb out on some of them after finding out the younger man loved to Hunt. Dean and Sam started to train but, like Bobby said, at thirteen Sam was just too young to go out on the dangerous Hunts and Dean didn't want to leave his brother, which was understandable. So, with Bobby's permission, John began to train the two boys in weapon usage, hand-to-hand sparring, and research. Sam proved best at research while Dean was better at the other aspects of the Hunt. Sam wasn't a slouch at the physical stuff, though, just better with researching. Bobby said that it made sense since that was how the Alpha and Omega were naturally so John used that to their advantage.

The best thing about living with the Singers was that John got to know his sons. Dean was brilliant when it came to mechanics and building things. He was protective with a mother-hen streak a mile long when it came to his family, especially Sam. He was highly intelligent and had a great sense of humor that, upon occasion, was the bane of the family. His excellent eye-hand coordination made him a precise shooter and coupled with his strength, made him formidable in a fight. He had sparkling green eyes and a killer smile that made him very desirable among the ladies. When he was with his baby brother, he became hyper vigilant to the point that he noticed even the smallest detail. His psionic and psychic gifts were equal to his brother's which is to say, they were powerful.

Sam was kind, soft-hearted, forgiving and loving. All attributes that he shared with Dean though he had a tendency to show them more often. He loved the more cerebral pursuits but was equally as good with the physical. At thirteen, he was studying at the same grade level as his brother. Even though he was a good looking young man, he didn't really have many friends since he was painfully shy. Physically, he was very fast with lots of endurance and could hold his own while sparring with his brother though he would rather be reading a book instead. John also found out that he was a bit unstable if Dean left him alone for any length of time. Things would go floating or even topple over if Dean was gone for a few hours. John was told that that was just part of the Omega's makeup and, until he grew older, he should expect it. Sam also had visions and was able to alert his family of specific Hunts. He would fall into a deep trance as he tried to pull as much detail as possible to help not only the victims but the Hunters who then would be sent to the event. The first time John saw Sam do that, it scared him since it looked as though the young boy was having an absence seizure.

Caleb, the third brother, was witty, happy and totally focused on keeping his family safe. Bobby said that was because of what happened to his birth family. John could understand that and helped Caleb refine his Hunting skills. Caleb was the one who encouraged the brothers to interact with the new person in their lives to the point where now John and Bobby were addressed as Dad. It could get a bit confusing if both men were in the same room at the time. Along with Dean, Caleb was quite the ladies' man and quite the sense of humor. Half the time, John had to check his room for any pranks and traps the boys may have put there. It got to the point where Bobby and John started to team up just to keep the boys in check. Though, it was true, that Caleb wasn't his biological son, John came to love him as one of his own children and Caleb reciprocated the feelings.

Then there was Bobby. Bobby was crusty, loving, and protective. He was a lot like John, damaged and dangerous. They had many arguments where blows almost landed if it hadn't been for Sam's teary eyes and Dean looking daggers at them for daring to make his baby brother cry. After one such argument, both men sat down and realized how much they had in common. All it took was a look in each other's eyes to make both men crack up. It took some time but they came to think of each other as the brother they never had. Bobby had even told John about his own history where he had killed his own father who was beating his mother and himself, and where he killed his wife who was possessed by a demon. Bobby said that Sam had actually healed him of those deep wounds when he found the boys. John talked about his time in Viet Nam while serving with the Marines and how Mary had helped heal those wounds. Yeah, life was good. Three sons and a brother with a business and a home to call his own. John was happy after all the years of loss. He didn't know that his wonderful life was about to be threatened.

For the last six months, Jacks had been planning how to hunt the youngest of the three Singer children. He knew that the boy wasn't human or fully human so that meant he was fair game. He was aware that the others who lived with the monster were under his influence and Jacks believed that once the monster was dead the others would rouse from the spell. He made some calls to like-minded Hunters, the kind who went after the children who had been targeted by the Yellow-Eyed Demon and killed them. Five of them agreed to help Jacks with the Hunt. Two had a grudge against Singer anyway so it was like Christmas to them.

It was easy to get the plans to Singer's place and one of the Hunters had gotten a couple of the locals who knew Singer, drunk and talking about the layout of the Yard. Jacks bought a couple of high-powered rifles and had the bullets, which were silver mixed with consecrated iron, specially made. These were then soaked in Holy Water and salt since they didn't know what they were dealing with. One Hunter was a sharpshooter and he volunteered to take out the beast. Jacks himself was going to target the middle son since he seemed to be the most bespelled out of all of them. It would be a mercy to put him out of his misery, Jacks thought.

After the ammunition was finished and loaded, all that was left was to figure the best time to go in for the kill. Like all true Hunters, they knew that they had to do research and the best was observation of the monster's movements. Using high powered binoculars with a ten mile range, Jacks took turns with the others to maintain 24-hour surveillance on the small family. It was frustrating since the Singer boys didn't have any kind of discernible pattern in their movements, or so it seemed until the most experienced Hunter of the group noticed that the whole family would go out to do exercises very early in the morning. Usually, the pattern showed the family to be out of the house any time between seven and nine a.m. but usually were always out at eight, either going back into the house or leaving it. The monster was always by the middle son so it was easy for the sharpshooters to be able to scope in on them.

Gathering oil, salt, matches, and Holy Water to burn the corpses with, they set up their blinds and waited for the opportune time. It took a few days but all the elements were in place. The sun wasn't out due to cloud cover and there was very little wind. Three of the Hunters stationed themselves in the Yard, hiding among the wrecks with knives out. It was their duty to kill the remaining witnesses. Then they waited until their targets left the house.

That morning, all three boys were feeling uneasy. Something was up but they couldn't say what it was. Dean and Caleb told the men that they thought there was something wrong while Sam curled in a ball, rocking to calm himself. Bobby was worried. Missouri told him that the Omega was unstable, if his family, his loved ones were threatened, especially the Alpha. John saw the agitation the boys were showing and he got out his gun. After being in the family for the last six months and observing the boys, he knew that there was a problem. Bobby saw his preparations and nodded, he had his rifle and another gun that he had hidden under his shirt. Caleb also was armed with a gun.

When the older members of the household were ready, Sam got the dog food ready for the dogs while Dean got their water. They went out of the house through the back door and started to feed the dogs when shots rang out. Dean cried out as he was hit in the shoulder and he fell down. Sam, seeing the blood coming from his brother froze while the other three ran out, looking for the shooter.

John was the first to reach Sam. Using his hands to see if the boy had gotten shot, John asked, "Sam, son, are you hurt?" Sam was silent and still. He closed his eyes and extended his senses to locate the shooters. Caleb, seeing what his brother was doing, also extended his senses and found the assassins in the Yard. He gave the information to Sam telepathically who then relayed the information to the older men. Both John and Bobby nodded to show they received the information and, after making sure the boys were crouching to make smaller targets, they went Hunting themselves. Both men were pissed that someone was threatening their children and they knew that the morning would end bloody.

Sam crawled over to Dean while Caleb covered him. Putting his hands over the wound, Sam concentrated and pulled the bullet out of his brother's body. He kept his hands there to close the wound. Dean opened his eyes and gave his brother a slight grin before another shot rang out and, this time, hit Sam in the left side of his chest, knocking him down. Dean's eyes blazed in anger as he healed his brother like Sam had done for him. Sam opened his eyes and hot hazel met glowing green as he looked at his brother. Dean clasped his hand and, for the first time ever, showed Caleb how they escaped the hospital. A flash of light and both brothers were gone. Caleb cursed then joined his dads in Hunting the other killers, knowing that the shooters were dead men.

Jacks and his partner frowned as they realized the boys were no longer in their sights. Hearing a slight noise behind them, they turned around and jumped as they saw the Alpha and the Omega in all their glory. The Alpha held a blazing sword while the Omega held only the two pieces of metal that were supposed to have led to their deaths. Both men scrambled to get up but the Omega held his hand up and they froze.

"You were given a gift the first time you saw us," the Alpha's deep voice rumbled. "You could have tried for redemption, for forgiveness for your sins but you compounded them by trying to kill us."

The Omega's eyes held both men as he held up his hand showing the bullets. "Two very small pieces of metal that you used to hurt us," his very soft voice said. "Profanity made manifest. Made to kill evil but you shot my brother with it instead. YOU SHOT MY BROTHER!" The last was screamed so loud that the words echoed for miles.

The Alpha turned away from the men and the Omega felt the hold his brother had on him loosen. It was his way of giving the Omega permission to act on his impulses. The men felt a thrill of horror go through them as the Omega advanced with a smile on his face. When the Omega stood directly in front of them, he put his hand on their chests. The hand glowed for a minute then he backed up to stand behind the Alpha. The men looked down where the hand had been and noticed a red patch that expanded quickly. Drops fell on the ground as the area on their chests grew. Blood started to fall from their noses, ears and eyes. Coughing, they found blood coming out of their mouths. Dropping to their knees in pain, they looked at the pair and noticed a glowing third figure with intense blue eyes next to the boys, looking at them without pity. First one Hunter then the other finally died, dropping to the ground in their own blood. The glowing figure put a hand on both boys' shoulders and the Alpha turned to face the Omega. Gathering them in his arms, the figure held them both close and enshrouded them in its wings. With a sound of wings in the air, the three disappeared as the bodies on the ground burst into flames to be burned completely.

John, Bobby, and Caleb let the dogs out to find the trespassers. One after another was found and backed into a corner. The three men lashed out and in their anger, beat the Hunters into unconsciousness. Tying them up, the trio stood up and wondered what they were going to do with them. The men were dangerous to their family but they were also human, barely. While they pondered their options, a glowing figure appeared and approached the tied up would-be assassins. When the figure touched them, they disappeared, never to be seen again. Then the figure looked at Bobby, John and Caleb who swore it smiled at them then disappeared itself. The men looked at each other then their thoughts turned to the younger members of their family. Caleb felt that they were in their bedroom and started to run to the house, followed closely by Bobby and John.

Footsteps thundered on the stairs as the trio ran up to the boys' bedroom. Upon entering, they saw two strange men standing next to the sleeping forms of Dean and Sam. Dean was curled around Sam as if protecting him even in their sleep. One of the men, who had dark hair and vivid blue eyes, looked at the three standing in the doorway. "They are just sleeping," he said, his voice gravelly. "They have expended much energy and must recharge as you would say."

The other man, a blond with blue eyes and a British accent, spoke, "When they have rested, they will awaken. It may take a few days but don't worry. They will be just fine."

The first man said, "We will be watching. If you are in need of our help, we will be here." A sound of wings filled the air as the two mysterious strangers disappeared. John, Bobby and Caleb grabbed chairs and sat down in a vigil, surrounding their precious family members. Somehow, they knew that they would be seeing the strangers again in the future.


	7. Chapter 7

Part Two

Chapter Seven-Caught and the Escape

Ten Years Later-

When the '67 Chevy Impala drove through the town, people, especially the guys, stopped and gawked at the beauty as it passed. When it was parked and its passengers got out, drool started to hit the pavement. The two men were gorgeous. The driver was 6'1" with short brown hair and green eyes that lit up with his killer smile. His boots, jeans, and leather jacket all screamed bad boy and it made all the women and some of the men swoon. His companion was 6'4" with long chocolate brown hair but people couldn't tell the color of his eyes since he was wearing tinted glasses. His smile, complete with dimples, totally made up for it though. When people looked at him though, they quickly looked away. Even though he was gorgeous like his companion, there was something off about him, something very dangerous.

Dean looked around and noticed the reactions he and his brother were getting. He sighed. It wasn't totally unexpected but he wished it had been better for Sam's sake. After all, it was the first time either of them had left their home with any real distance between them and it. Being in town didn't count since they felt the whole town was home to them and the people there were used to the boys. Now, they were in the real world and it was frightening. The Alpha in him was worried that he couldn't do his job and protect his brother against the evil in the world. He knew that his brother felt the same way but, unlike Dean, Sam was unstable to say the least but they really had no choice. John went missing a month ago while Hunting Azazel and the whole family was worried.

Soon after the incident with the Hunters ten years ago, Dean and Sam sat down to tell the family everything they knew. They talked about the Yellow-Eyed Demon whom they identified as the Fallen Angel Azazel and his mission to find and mark special children out of whom would come the true Vessel of Lucifer. They talked about the coming apocalypse, saying that they had permission to reveal its coming to their family after Bobby voiced concerns that the Virtues would be angry that they were talking about Heavenly business. Dean held his brother closely as he talked about how the family would be targeted by demons and Hunters alike for their association with the two of them. They offered to leave but the others wouldn't hear it and threatened to lock them up if they tried to leave.

When Bobby asked about the Hunters coming after them, Dean said that he sensed there was one was missing out of the assassins they had caught and taken care of. That one would have started to spread the fear among the Community about the Singer boys which made them dangerous to the family. Dean also said that the family meant not only the ones in the house but also Jim, Joshua, Rufus, Missouri, Ellen, Ash and Jo since they had adopted the boys also and were known to be close to the Singer/Winchester household. Bobby thought about it and said that he better buy some more land adjacent to his own property and start the expansion the boys had originally wanted since the household would be growing soon. Then he got up and started to make some calls. When he got back, he sat down and listened to the rest of the revelations.

Dean said that originally, the youngest of John and Mary was supposed to be the Vessel of Lucifer while the elder child was to have been the Vessel of Michael but because they were born instead, those vessels have now been shifted to the backups. Mary, he said, had made a deal with Azazel when that Angel killed John and stabbed her father. Because of her love for John, she agreed to the terms without really knowing what was in the fine print. The night that Azazel was to have collected on the agreement, Dean had taken Sam's soul out of his vessel and hidden it next to his own soul to keep it safe. After the Fallen Angel had fed his blood to the infant, Dean, with Mary's help, had cleansed and healed the body of the poison. Mary died, he said, while distracting Azazel from what was happening. She used her last breath protecting her sons. In the hospital Dean restored the soul to its vessel to complete the healing. He and Sam would have stayed with John but the Hunters who came into the room to kill the baby made the Alpha realize that it wasn't a good idea so he called out for help and the two were taken away.

John asked whether the two beings who were in their room after the assassination attempt were the ones who had taken them from the hospital and Dean said yes. They were, he said, two Angels who were assigned to watch over the boys and help them in any way they could. When asked why the Angels didn't help them in their past lives, all Dean could do was shrug and say that there are reasons for everything even if those reasons weren't known.

Soon after that morning, construction started on the Singer homestead. An expansion was built that extended into the new property behind the house. Jim left his parish at Sam's request while Josh and Rufus brought their belongings to the house in anticipation of their new rooms. Being Hunters, they kept themselves fairly mobile, not really putting roots down anywhere. At first, Missouri fought against leaving her home but Dean was the one who convinced her to do so. Jo and Ash were sent immediately to the Yard while Ellen struggled to sell the Roadhouse. At first, she thought about keeping it open and staying there since it catered to mainly other Hunters but when told that it was very dangerous for her to be there, she reluctantly agreed to the move.

Bobby's house was expanded to include a small chapel, seven new bedrooms, four more bathrooms, ten closets, the kitchen and dining room was enlarged and Bobby now had a study. The living room was also expanded to include all the new people in the house. There was a large laundry room and a pantry now graced the kitchen which had two stoves, a freezer and two refrigerators. To cut out any confusion, there were schedules posted in the kitchen and laundry room along with a chore list so everyone knew what they needed to do to keep the household running. The adults had a three quarters bath off their rooms while Caleb shared a bathroom with Dean and Sam, Ash shared one with Jo. The kids had their bedrooms in the attic, just the way the boys had wanted while the adults occupied both the ground and second floors. With all the changes, it became a home of love that was sometimes loud, sometimes full of hurt feelings but behind it all it was family.

John kept Hunting, this time with Caleb as his partner for the most part. Josh and Rufus teamed up for safety's sake while Bobby and Jim did research. The women ran the rest of the show while keeping their children training and safe. Missouri especially worked with Sam and Dean to refine their abilities so that when they used them fully again they wouldn't be incapacitated like they had after the assassination attempt. The four were also homeschooled, again for safety's sake since nobody put it past some sick S.O.B. to shoot up a school just to get at them.

After the incident, Sam and Dean rarely left the property until now. Now, John was missing and they had to find him. John had gone on the Hunt by himself since Caleb was on the injured list due to a broken leg. It was supposed to be easy, just a salt and burn but John failed to check in which made everyone very uneasy. Ash had located the last place he had been seen while the others used their contacts in the Community to find anything out that could help. One name kept coming up, Gordon Walker, as someone who may have been working with the only surviving member of Jacks' group. Dean loaded up his baby, as he called his car, and left with his brother sitting by his side.

Now, they were at the same motel that John had disappeared from. Finding his room and picking the lock proved to be easy. When they got inside, they found the room was ransacked, as if a struggle had happened. Sam opened his senses to find any clues while Dean looked in John's truck. They found, in John's journal, that he was meeting with another Hunter named Kubrick for information on Azazel's movements. Sam looked into the past, something that was a new power for him, and found that John had indeed met Kubrick in his room but the man wasn't alone. Gordon Walker was right behind him and, between the two of them, had overpowered John. What disturbed Sam was that Walker's eyes flashed black. Sam showed Dean telepathically what he had found and Dean's temper started to boil. He hated that demons now had their birth father and he vowed to get the man back.

As they were leaving the room, the brothers both felt a sharp pain in their necks. Dean's eyes widened as he watched his brother fall to the ground. Reaching up to his neck, he pulled a dart out and wondered what it was. As he fell unconscious, he saw three sets of feet walk up and stop beside him. A voice that was vaguely familiar to him said, "Simple. Can't understand why it was so hard in the first place." Then his world went black.

Four Months Later (Dean)-

The young man tumbled from a van as it sped down the road. Quickly, he crawled into a tree line to hide from the occupants of the van if they noticed he was gone. He was cold, wearing only a pair of jeans. His naked torso showed bruises, cuts and burns and his right arm was broken. His bare feet had no toenails and the bottoms were burned. His breath rasped as he tried to calm himself. He was free. After four months of torture, he was finally free. For four months, they tried to break him and almost succeeded a month ago but somehow, he found the strength to go on. It was like a connection had been lost but another one was forged to give him reason to live.

He waited for hours in the tree line to make sure that he wouldn't be found. Extending his senses, using his powers for the first time in months, he searched the area to make sure there were no demons around. When he satisfied himself, he cautiously left the trees and made it to the road. Walking the opposite way the van was going was the only thing he could thing of doing. He knew he ran the risk of maybe running into more demons going back but he knew for a fact there were demons going forward and he was weak enough to where he wouldn't have been able to fight them off.

After walking for a very long time, the man came up to a closed gas station. Taking a rock, he broke a window in the door and unlocked it to let himself in. Looking around, he saw a refrigerator unit with cold drinks, some of which were water. There was snack food on the shelves and a telephone by the register. He got a bottle of water out of the cooler and went to the phone. Picking up the receiver, he dialed a number that flashed in his head. When the call was answered, the voice on the other end said that the number was not in service. Frowning, the man put the phone back down then, picking it back up, he dialed another number. This time, it was answered by a familiar voice.

"Hello?" the voice said.

"D-d-d-dad?" the man stuttered.

"Who's this?" was the demanded question

"Uh…I…uh…Dean," he got out.

"Oh, God, Dean, is that really you, boy?" Bobby asked tremulously.

Dean cleared his throat a couple of times then answered, "Yeah. It's me, Dad."

"Thank God! Listen, can you tell me where you are? I'll come pick you up," Bobby asked, his voice becoming surer.

"No, I, uh, I don't know where I am," Dean said nervously.

"That's okay, I'll get Ash to trace this call," Bobby soothed. Then he yelled to Ash "Ash, can you trace this call? It's Dean and he doesn't know where he is!" In the background, Dean could hear Ash answer, _"Sure thing. Just wait a minute….Got it!" _He heard a piece of paper rustling and Bobby said, "Okay, we have your location. Just sit tight and we'll be there soon. Are you and Sam all right?"

"Sam? He isn't with you?" Dean asked with trepidation.

Bobby sighed, "No, son. When the two of you disappeared four months ago, we couldn't find you just the car and the motel room that your daddy John had been in. We haven't heard anything from any of you in that time. Do you know who took you?"

Dean's voice hardened, "Demons. They got John, possessed him before we even got to the room. He helped them when they took me. Dad, why can't I feel Sam anymore? Do you think he's dead?"

"No, we don't. Your Angel friends said that both of you were alive, they just couldn't find either of you. We'll find your brother and get him back, Dean. I promise but now you need to take care of yourself. We'll be there in an hour. Can you do that for me?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, I can. Hurry?"

"As fast as we can, son, as fast as we can."

"Thanks, Dad." After he hung the phone up, Dean sat down with some crackers and water wondering where his brother was. He fell asleep waiting for his Dad to come find him.

Calling for Caleb, Bobby got the keys to the Impala and ran out the door with his son following closely behind. It took them less than an hour to reach Dean's location and the two of them leapt out of the car before it was barely parked. Running into the station, they found Dean asleep on the floor with a bottle of water near him. Quietly, Bobby put some money in the register to pay for the water, snack and damages before he and Caleb went to wake the sleeping Dean.

Softly shaking his son's shoulder, Bobby whispered, "Dean, hey son, time to wake up. C'mon Ace, wake up for your old man." Dean opened his eyes and Bobby grinned. He was never so happy to see his son as he was at that moment. As Dean sat up, Bobby's eyes widened at the damage he could see on his son. Carefully, he started to triage the wounds as Caleb came up with their first aid kit. The two of them set about tending the open, weeping wounds, stitching up the cuts and putting cream on the burns. After Dean's torso was taken care of, they turned their attention to his feet. Swearing a blue streak when they saw the extensive damage, they cleaned and put ointment on his feet then bandaged them. Mindful of how painful his feet were, Bobby and Caleb got the younger man up and helped him to the car. Dean grinned when he saw his baby then looked at his dad with a question in his eyes. "Had another set of keys. Made them when you first got the car in case of an emergency," Bobby explained. Dean nodded in relief. He wasn't happy that someone had a set of keys to his baby but, in this case, he was glad for his dad's foresight.

He wasn't too happy about being in the back but like Caleb explained, there was no way he would have been comfortable in the front and Bobby was adamant about him not driving. Grumbling, he settled down on the back seat and promptly fell asleep. When they got back to the Yard, Bobby and Caleb carried Dean into the house. Missouri and Ellen, seeing the damaged young man, start to clean him up while Jim ran to get some soft clothes to change him into. Then they waited, fearing the conversation that was to come.

Four Months Ago (Bobby)-

Bobby slammed the phone down in frustration. He hadn't heard a word from his boys in a couple of days and he was very worried. It wasn't like them to worry him and not call. Hell, Dean called at least twice a day just to keep him updated on their plans. He regretted sending them to find John but he didn't know who else to send. Josh and Rufus were out on their own Hunt while Caleb was researching with Jim on another as he healed. He wouldn't ask Ellen since he knew she really didn't like Hunting them ever since one had claimed the life of Bill and left her with children to raise. She preferred to stay at home and keep the other kids safe. He did call the others to let them know what was going on and, true to form, Josh and Rufus said they would swing over to the motel where John was last seen. When they got there, the Impala and John's truck was parked by the motel door and the room showed signs of demonic presence. Rufus found a dart next to the Impala which was packed with John's stuff. Josh looked through the man's journal and found that he had had an appointment with a Hunter named Kubrick who was a religious fanatic and nuts to boot.

The name rang bells with Bobby. He knew that Kubrick was rumored to work with another crazy Hunter named Gordon Walker. That name made Bobby shudder. It was known in the community that Walker's family had been killed by vampires and he and his sister Hunted them until she too was turned. He went crazy after taking her head, vowing to kill anything that had been touched by the Supernatural. There was another reason to fear Walker. After the Jacks incident, Bobby and John found where the Hunter had holed up and found evidence of six assassins, not the five they had found on the grounds. One Hunter seemed to have been Kubrick but his corpse wasn't among the others. He and John had talked about going after him but decided that since he was still human, barely, they couldn't do anything to him. Now, that decision was biting them in the ass.

The other thing that Rufus and Josh found had Bobby extremely worried. Sam's tinted glasses were broken and the pieces were found scattered on the ground. The Omega had no shield now, no way of hiding who he was. Those eyes pierced through to the soul and nobody was exempt. Sam was vulnerable unless Dean was with him and who knew how the demons would use him. Bobby started to pray for guidance and help in looking for his sons. Then he went to tell his household what the others had found.

One Month Ago (Bobby)-

Bobby looked around at the table. Everyone was there except for the boys and John, missing for three months now and a pall had fallen on the whole household. Jim and Bobby had caught and questioned a demon before exorcising it. The damned thing told them that Gordon Walker, Kubrick and John were all possessed by demons working for Azazel and it was them who had ambushed the boys. The demons had taken Dean but they drugged Sam before disappearing. Josh went back to the town where they disappeared to look for Sam but he wasn't anywhere. Even looking for a John Doe yielded no information. Now, with their hope waning, the household was having a hard time keeping tears out of their eyes.

Just before the meal ended, a sound of wings filled the air and three men appeared in the room. Two, the dark haired, blue-eyed man and his companion, the blond with blue eyes were known to Bobby by sight but the third, a slight man with golden hair and honey eyes was a stranger.

"I am sorry that we haven't good news for you. Neither the Alpha nor the Omega has been located at this time but we continue to look," the dark haired man said. "We need your help, though."

"Excuse me," Jim began. "But may we know who you are?"

"Fair question, little brother," the golden haired man said. He looked at his companions who shrugged as one. He grinned and snapped his fingers. A cherry lollipop appeared and he stuck it in his mouth. After sucking it for a second, he took it out and said, "We are Angels of the Lord. I'm Gabriel…"

"Th-the Archangel?" Jim gasped.

"The one and only," Gabriel smirked. Then he turned to his companions and introduced them. The dark haired Angel was introduced as Castiel and the blond was named as Balthazar. "I know the kids have told you their names after that nasty attempt to kill you," he said to Bobby. Bobby nodded. "Good, that helps. They must have also told you about Azazel and the deal that he made with Mary Winchester?" Again Bobby nodded. He had told the rest of the household of the revelations after the boys had gone missing. "You then know about the Vessels and how the birth of the Alpha and Omega was supposed to stop the apocalypse from happening. What you don't know is that the reason they have gone missing is that Azazel is trying to open the seals to Lucifer's Cage."

The blond picked up the story from there, "If they can break the bond between the brothers, then they can get Dean to agree to open the first seal. First, though, they have to torture him enough to agree, in exchange for them to stop hurting him, he would take up the knife himself. When that happens, they will take him to Hell where the first seal will be broken. A righteous man must spill blood in Hell for that seal to break."

Castiel continued, "If the bond is broken, the Omega will be driven mad. He will be easy prey to a demon who will guide him in killing and drinking demon blood, making him the perfect Vessel for Lucifer. She will tell him that it is the perfect way of finding Lilith, whom she will say has the Alpha, and killing her to get him back, thus breaking the last seal. If Lucifer takes him as a Vessel, our brother would become very powerful, enough to defeat Michael who is destined to fight and defeat him. This cannot be allowed and that is where you come in."

Gabriel stepped in again, "What we need you to do is to become a backup bond for them. If their direct bond is broken, your bond would come into play to keep them stable enough until they are able to reestablish their own. Out of all the people on this planet, only you can do this for them."

"Why us?" Missouri asked.

Balthazar answered, "Each and every one of you have had past lives where you have been part of their family. You have fought for them in the past and many times had died for them. Because of that, you already have a strong familial bond that we can strengthen to help them now."

"You must be warned, though," Castiel said. "Your minds will be opened and those who are not gifted will become so and those who are will become stronger."

Ellen asked, "What kinds of gifts are we talking about?"

"Telepathy and empathy are the two we are aware of but you may develop others," Castiel answered.

Missouri had another question, "Will this turn us into one of their kind of elemental?"

"Not unless you want to be," was the answer Balthazar gave. He stared hard at the group, "For Sam and Dean they were born that way but you have a choice to become like them. They deal with humans and answer to the Virtues. It is a very hard road to travel, having to balance good and evil, right and wrong, Yin and Yang. If you chose to be like them, you would see the soul of a person and that's not an easy thing to do. All of a person's sins would be laid out for you and you would have to decide whether that person is redeemable or not. Not to forgive but to exact justice. For them, it is a bit easier since that is their purpose but for you who have not been born into it, it could tear you apart."

"Lady Justice," Bobby said.

"Exactly. The Alpha is the one who protects justice. The Omega is the personification of that justice. The reason why the Omega is unstable is that he can see into the soul all the time. It can become overwhelming even for him and the Alpha is the balance he needs. That is why we are asking for your help. We need you to become that balance temporarily to help prevent a wholesale slaughter of humans," Gabriel said, happy that they understood what the Alpha and Omega were.

The group looked at each other and to a person, they agreed to help. The trio of Angels knew that the two boys had chosen well in their family. With a snap of his fingers, Gabriel blindfolded Balthazar and gave Castiel scales. He himself took out his sword and passed it above the heads of the household, whispering words in Enochian binding the people in front of him to the Alpha and Omega. The humans felt a tingling as the bonds tightened and they started to feel the distress the two missing brothers were under. Sending calming thoughts to them, the group started to work on keeping the brothers from the fate that Azazel and the demons were trying to force on them. The Angels worked with them, always there to help.

Now (Dean)-

"So the Angels asked you to be our bond and everyone said yes?" Dean asked after Bobby told him what happened.

"Pretty much," Bobby answered, scratching his head.

"And you can feel what I'm feeling?"

"Yeah. I can tell that you are a bit confused and pretty angry about what happened. You're also very worried about Sam," Bobby said. "It's hard to know when it's my own feelings or when it's yours since I feel the same way but it's getting better. I remember the first day after we agreed. Jo and Ellen were both crying because it hurt so much, the pain of betrayal and the pain of not knowing where your brother was since you couldn't feel him anymore. Your Angel buddies also told us that we need to rescue John and bring your half-brother here to protect him. They said that John and this kid, Adam, were in line as the righteous man who could break the first seal. Josh and Rufus went to retrieve him and his mother but we need to get John back somehow. Do you know where they were taking you?"

Dean was conflicted. He had a strong urge to find his brother but knew that John was as equally important. "Cold Oak," he replied. "They were taking me to Cold Oak for the next phase of my 'reeducation'."

Bobby stood up and patted Dean on the shoulder. "Good work, son. As soon as Rufus and Josh get back with the Milligans, we'll make a trip out to Cold Oak and get Johnny. Then we'll find Sam, I promise you that. We. Will. Find. Sam."


	8. Chapter 8

_This chapter is short but the following one isn't. Enjoy!_

Chapter Eight-Lost and Found Part One

The demon walked jauntily down the street. Her meatsuit was beautiful, a young blond girl by the name of Meg Masters and it was all hers. She felt privileged that her father, Azazel, let her help him in his quest to free their Master. Her duty, he told her, was to kill Hunters and make it messy. She could do that, after all, she was one of Alastair's favorite students. She had killed four Hunters so far and was now going to Blue Earth for one James Murphy. One of her father's minions had killed the priest who had taken Murphy's place at the church and the Elders had called him to sub until they found another to take his place. Being the good-hearted man that he was, Murphy agreed and was now out of the protection of the Yard.

The demon loved her father. If he hadn't been kicked out of Heaven, she would have been half-Angel but since he was, she was a very powerful demon. Born and bred to Azazel through a human, the demon now known as Meg could walk on Holy Ground without so much as a whimper. Her brother, the only other demon that Azazel fully trusted, was in South Saint Paul wearing John Winchester. He was there punishing Walker and Kubrick for their sloppy handling of the Alpha which had allowed him to escape. Azazel was also angry since the breaking of the bond between brothers did not reap the results that he wanted. When he found that another bond had tied Dean to Heaven and Earth, he tore through Hell leaving torn and shredded souls in his wake. The third failure that happened was when the demons he sent to retrieve Adam Milligan came back saying that they were unable to find him. Azazel's eyes blazed as he left them in tiny pieces. Permanently. Meg knew that if she failed, favored daughter or not, her father's punishment would be terrible and she vowed not to have that happen. What she didn't know was that Jim was waiting for her after getting the heads up that he was next on the demon's hit list.

Meg sneered as she opened the door to the church, her eyes flashing black, before she put a more pleasant look on her face. Murphy was getting the church ready for the next day's services. Meg smirked as she visualized what would be waiting for the congregation instead. Murphy spread out in a pool of his own blood. As she neared the Alter, she suddenly stopped. Looking around in a panic, she couldn't understand what was keeping her in that spot. It wasn't until Bobby Singer, Dean, Caleb, Rufus and Josh stepped out of the shadows that she realized they had known she was on her way and laid a trap for her.

Her nervousness increased as she realized the men were _connected_, just like the Alpha and Omega used to be. As she observed the men, how they moved and how they didn't say anything but there was a distinct feeling that they were communicating, she became more than nervous. Now, she was downright scared. Then she saw what was in Dean's hand-his blazing sword. Scared now ratcheted up to terror. Dean's sword had the power to utterly destroy her if he so wished. The next thing to happen made her wish for oblivion. Caleb waved his hand and a chair skidded across the floor and hit her on the backs of her knees, causing her to sit abruptly. Another wave of the hand and ropes tied her tightly so she couldn't move.

A sudden pain pierced her head as Dean stared into her eyes. She thought that only the Omega had the power to see souls but now she realized her mistake, the Alpha did also. Dean smiled as the pain abated. "Hi Meg! How are you doing? Comfortable?" Dean asked wryly. "You look a bit thirsty." Without turning his head, he asked, "Dad? Would you give Meg some water?" Bobby grinned and splashed some Holy Water on her face. Meg screamed and smoke rose from her vessel.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Dean asked pleasantly.

"Go to Hell!" Meg snarled.

Dean gave his sword to Jim to hold then quickly walked over to her. Putting his hands on the arms of the chair, he leaned in closely and forced her to look into his glowing green eyes. She couldn't look away or even close her own eyes as Dean looked deeply into her soul. All her sins came rushing forward and…hurt her. She found out that, despite Alastair's lessons and despite her father, she had a very small spark of humanity within her soul, one that could be redeemed. Calling the spark forth, Dean reached into her soul and started to gently pull it out from the miasma. Finally, he backed up and watched Meg. Her eyes filled with tears as she grasped what he had done-given her a chance for redemption.

"Thank you," she whispered. Dean smiled and nodded.

"What can you tell me to help my father and brother?" he asked.

Meg thought for a minute then said, "My brother has taken possession of John. They are in an abandoned slaughter house in South Saint Paul, Minnesota. Your brother is somewhere in Houston. They drugged him and left him on the streets to fend for himself. I'm sorry." Dean just patted her on the shoulder in comfort. "What do I do now? Father will torture me for giving you the information," Meg asked.

"We have a soul jar that you can inhabit until we find you a person who has just died. You can take that person's vessel then, if you want," Jim told her.

"Okay," Meg said and she opened her mouth. Grey smoke, not the usual black, came out and went into the jar that Caleb held. After it was all in the jar, Caleb sealed it and gave it to Jim. The girl who was tied to the chair was let loose and Josh started to tend to her. Later, he brought her to a doctor who knew of the Hunting world. With his help, she would recover and be able to go back to her family. The doctor also told Josh about a young woman who was dying who would be a good vessel for the demon who would forever be known as Meg.

Three Days Later-

John or what was wearing John was having fun torturing Walker and Kubrick. He had learned from Alastair all about how to torture without killing, something the other demon had taught torturers throughout the centuries. They had been sloppy, letting Dean escape like they had. The stupid demons didn't even know that he had gotten out of the van until they stopped for something to eat. Then they tried to run, even knowing that they would be tracked down. Azazel had sent the Hellhounds to retrieve them and bring them to his son. Now, they were currently on his rack, writhing in pain as he skinned the soles of their feet and the palms of their hands. He was so busy he didn't notice that he had company until someone behind him cleared his throat. Swiftly, the demon turned around and grinned as he saw Dean standing there, almost giftwrapped for his father.

"Dean, son," he said in John's voice. "I'm happy to see that you are well."

Dean cocked his head and said with teeth clenched, "I'm not your son!"

"Yes, you are. I was the one who impregnated your mother therefore I am your father, no matter what any paper says," the demon sneered.

"John is my biological father, that's true but _you_ are not," Dean sneered back. Raising his hand and flicking his wrist, Dean caused the demon to fly across the room and hit a wall where a devil's trap appeared. "You are nothing to me, not family, not friend. Nothing. I've seen into John's soul and I can see into yours." Dean walked closer to the demon, "You have no human feelings, no human spark. Irredeemable is what I call you. You are expendable. Not even your own father will save your sorry ass."

"You wanna kill me? How are you going to do that without killing John? I'm not like your average demon, you know. My father was an Angel at one point and I'm part Angel," the demon said with a growl.

Dean reached over the trap and put his hand on John's chest. Closing his eyes, he summoned John's soul. When the demon realized what Dean was doing, he started to struggle. He wouldn't lose the soul without a fight but he didn't stand a chance. Whatever the Alpha wanted, he got and he wanted John's soul. After a brief struggle, Dean pulled his hand away with the shining soul in it. He looked at it lovingly then put it in the safest place in the world, his own vessel, just like he had done for his brother so very long ago. Unlike Sam, the fit wasn't perfect. The Alpha and the Omega were Yin and Yang, soulmates so they fit together but John wasn't that part of them. Dean surrounded John, cradling him like a mother would do for her child, protecting and calming him.

_John was confused. He had been surrounded by cold, hate and pain but now he was in a blanket of warmth, light and love. He felt as though he didn't deserve such kindness after what his body had done to his children. Intellectually, he knew that a demon had control of his body and was the one who hurt the boys but his heart told him that _he_ was the one who had betrayed them. As his confusion and self-recriminations grew, a loving touch calmed him while he heard a soft voice singing Mary's favorite song, the same one she had sung to her sons when they were very young. Finally, he calmed down and slept, feeling safe and loved._

Dean smiled inwardly as he felt John settle down and go to sleep then he turned his attention to the demon who had stolen John's vessel. His eyes hardened and he gripped his sword tightly. Without warning, he thrust his sword into the vessel, piercing the demon and killing it. Dean watched as a black sludge poured out of the vessel's eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and wound as the demon's soul exited. After a while, Dean checked the vessel to make sure there was no trace of the demon before laying his hand on the wound and healing it. Then, he pressed his hand to the vessel's heart and sent a slight shock to start it pumping again. He watched as the vessel gasped and took a breath, then another. Waiting until the rhythm of breathing and heartbeats were steady, he reached into himself and slowly pulled the sleeping soul out. Dean smiled at it and, pressing it back down on the vessel where it took up residence once again. John slept, whole and healed.

After he was done with John, Dean got up off the floor where he had been tending his father and went to the two demons still on the racks. They began to struggle as he came closer but the bonds were too tight. He stood between the racks and, holding his hands out above them, began the exorcisms. The prayer he used was very old in a forgotten language, the exorcism was too powerful for the demons to resist and they left the bodies. Before they could complete their journey back to Hell, Dean raised his sword again and slashed through the black smoke, guaranteeing that the demons were totally destroyed, never to come back.

Unfortunately, for Gordon Walker and Kubrick, the damage to their bodies was too extensive and both men died. Dean stepped back as the Reaper who appeared took their souls for their final journey. Dean nodded at the Reaper. He had always liked her. She had a gentle and kind nature to her that made the journey pleasant, no matter the destination. After the souls were gone, Dean took the bodies off the racks and brought them to the yard behind the building where he salted and burned them, giving them a Hunter's funeral. After the pyres had burned down, Dean went back into the building and picked John up, his sword on his side. He got the man into the backseat of the Impala and drove to Blue Earth where Bobby and Jim were waiting.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine-Lost and Found Part Two

Dr. Albert Rennick walked up the room where his patient was. The young man rarely, if ever left it and even then, he was heavily sedated. Dr. Rennick could hardly blame him. The last time he left it voluntarily, without being sedated or restrained, he ended up in the Electroconvulsive Therapy Room. Dr. Rennick was still very angry every time he thought about that day. He had been off due to a family emergency and his substitute for the day had decided that the young man needed ECT. When the doctor got back, he found the young man was almost completely catatonic from the experience and his substitute had disappeared. Before that day, John Doe 362006 was lively, to say the least but after the treatment, he was completely silent and listless, never meeting anyone's eyes.

Entering the room, the good doctor studied his patient. The young man was sitting on the floor, back to the door with a pillow clutched in his arms. His face was planted in the pillow and he didn't make any motion that indicated that he knew someone was in his room. The only signs that showed he was still in the world were the "decorations" he had put on the walls and floor of his room. The first time they tried to clean it up, the patient became so agitated that the doctor was forced to sedate him again. After that, he ordered the nurses and orderlies to leave the artwork alone and the patient was calmer. The doctor had taken pictures of the art and sent it to a colleague of his who specialized in reading artwork done by the insane. The colleague came back saying the artwork was actually a collection of sigils and wards against evil and demons. That gave a new light to the patient and the Doctor started to wonder if he had religious delusions but there were no other signs to lead him to a definite conclusion.

Carefully, he sat next to the patient and put down the pad of paper he had been carrying. Many times, the art of the sick and silent could give indications of where their minds were and, in the case of John Doe, showed symptoms of schizophrenia. The drawings John had done were, in a word, hellish. Full of torture and fear, loneliness and loss, he drew pictures of blood, knives, black eyes, yellow eyes, fire and darkness. Dr. Rennick knew that the illness had not been caused by the use of drugs since the blood panel showed the patient clean of any drugs. The catatonia, depression, social withdrawal and paranoia all pointed towards the disease and he began to treat John for it. The problem that he was running into though was that John showed all the signs for negative symptoms of schizophrenia which meant that they were in for a rough time trying to treat the young man.

Dr. Rennick waited until John showed signs that he saw the paper before putting some crayons on the floor by the pad. After a few minutes, John picked up a crayon and started to draw. Dr. Rennick watched as another picture of Hell emerged. Canine-like creatures were being drawn along with winged demons that had knives for fingers which dripped blood. Racks with people on them being tortured were also featured. The faces were large, almost as though John was looking for _someone_. It was the feeling that the doctor always had as he watched his patient draw. Something was missing, he figured, and John was looking for it. Dr. Rennick believed that John was looking for his own sanity through the horror that crowded his mind. He just wished he knew how to help but since John never said a word anymore, he was at a loss.

As the young man drew, Dr. Rennick tried to get him to talk, "John, how are you doing today?" John just kept drawing, this time a person who looked as though they were melting with pustules on the body. "Can you tell me what this means to you?" The next drawing was of a disemboweled person, female this time. "Have you seen something like this before?" A skinned male with his organs on the outside of the musculature was the next figure drawn. "What are you looking for, I wonder?" The doctor asked himself. He was surprised when John started to draw a face. Male with green eyes and short brown hair, a smile graced the face. The doctor became excited. This was the first time in months that John had responded to him. "Are you looking for him?" Again the face was drawn but this time, he could see the fierce protectiveness in it. "A family member, maybe? A cousin or brother?" John just put his crayon down and turned back into the pillow. Dr. Rennick sighed, understanding that John didn't want to communicate any longer. Carefully, he patted the young man on the shoulder then, picking up the drawings, he left the room. He didn't see that John had kept one of the crayons, a green one.

When Dr. Rennick finally got to his office, he called John's file up on the computer and reviewed it. John had been in the hospital for the last six months, four of which have been in a catatonic like state where he didn't speak, move or look anyone in the eye. It had been recently that he had started to draw again. Dr. Rennick looked at the drawings done in the first two months and compared the differences to the ones he had just done.

Pre-Electroconvulsive, John's pictures were of him being tortured. Hands holding knives coming towards him attached to black or yellow eyes. These hands had also held fire, brands, ropes, handcuffs, whips and needles. Dr. Rennick had seen pictures like these before from people who had endured torture themselves. Post- Electroconvulsive, though, showed others being tortured and there were more of the surroundings showing with more black eyed tormenters. Each time, though, the victims were tied to something that could only be described as a rack. The only thing the doctor could conclude was that John had been somewhere where wholesale torture was the norm. There were a few places on Earth where that could be. Finally, Dr. Rennick picked up the picture of the young man with green eyes. _"What are you looking for, I wonder?"_ A question unconsciously asked but consciously answered. Could it be the answer to the puzzle that was John Doe 362006? Sighing, the doctor put the pictures away then made a few notes in John's file. After which, he got up to go home. The last thing that he thought about was there had been a new head nurse hired for John's floor. He knew he had to meet with her to explain that all the "decorations" in John's room needed to stay. Dr. Rennick had a strong feeling that they were very important.

The Next Morning-

Mrs. Janet Damon was looking forward to her first day on her new job as the head nurse at the prestigious Crockett Institute for the Mentally Ill. She was hired to work on the Locked Ward filled with patients who had been diagnosed as a danger to others or themselves. Mrs. Damon was a righteous woman who believed that mental illness was a punishment from God and her treatment of her patients had often showed that belief in negligence or physical abuse, something she had never been caught doing but instead had actually been given awards and recognition for her tireless work with the patients. The only reason that she had left her previous job was that one of her patients had died under her care and questions were being asked. The patient was given ECT but the voltage was not the one recommended but higher. It actually wasn't her fault but the fault of the technician, she told herself. The technician was new and hadn't realized that the orders had the wrong voltage written in them and, being new, didn't think to call the doctor and confirm the orders. Instead, she went ahead and gave the treatment to the patient who ended up sustaining brain damage which led to anoxia. He died shortly afterwards.

One of the reasons that Nurse Damon believed the mental illness was a punishment from God was that her own mother had been schizophrenic. After her mother died, Janet found that the man she thought of as her father wasn't. It was another man who had dated her mother before she got married. As she investigated her mother's past, she found that the woman had been promiscuous in her teen years. Clearly a sin that her mother was punished for. Even though Janet had done the rotations in the mental health field and had taken courses in it, she never believed that she too was vulnerable to becoming ill. After all, she was a God fearing, Church going woman. The problem was that she was blind to her own symptoms and never received treatment. It was Angels who revealed the punishment to her, she thought. She kept herself isolated from the sinful world, only going out to shop, work or worship. She also had extreme OCD tendencies, her own attempt to keep order in her physical world to combat the disorder in her mental world. She was considered a good nurse since she kept a straight face on at all times and never altered her tone of voice.

The only thing her other employers could have complained about was the fact that every six weeks, she called in sick for a couple of days. At those times, she was very unpredictable and her house would reflect the disorder in her mind or she just couldn't get out of bed. She also heard the Angels clearly and would be driven to do their bidding. Since she kept those episodes behind closed doors and she wasn't married, nobody knew about her illness.

This day was a good day and she dressed with care to impress her new employers. She was actually looking forward to working her shift so she could start what she considered her mission. Driving to the hospital, she hummed some of her favorite hymns. She carefully parked her car and went to the personnel office where the director was there, waiting to show her the ropes. The woman, Mrs. Dowd, showed Janet her locker then took her to the floor.

"Dr. Rennick wishes to meet with you regarding some of his patients. The Doctor has special instructions about them so you need to make some time to meet with him," Mrs. Dowd told her new head nurse.

"Of course, ma'am," Janet replied, wondering if it was really necessary.

"You will find the schedules of medications and groups on the computer along with the patient histories and the names of their doctors," Mrs. Dowd informed Janet who nodded.

The Personnel Director handed the new nurse a packet and said, "Here is your W2s, insurance forms and 401k forms for you to fill out on your breaks. Please bring them to my office before you go home tonight." Janet smiled happily. Filling out paperwork satisfied her OCD as it was one of the steps she needed to complete to say the job was fully hers.

Mrs. Dowd led the nurse to her new work station, the Male Locked Ward, and introduced her to the other nurses and orderlies that she would be working with. One nurse, Jenny Lyle, took Janet on a tour of the ward. Janet was shown the locked bathrooms, the unlocked ones, the dayroom and group rooms, the medication cabinets and the staff rooms then she was shown the patient rooms. Most of them were clean and tidy since those patients were catatonic. Some had personal belongings that were hanging up on the walls. Janet frowned at the ones that were untidy and her OCD screamed at her to fix them but she held on with white knuckles. It wouldn't do to just go in and clean up the mess on her first day. Then, she was shown John Doe 362006's room and she barely restrained herself from screaming at the mess.

The first thing Janet saw were green eyes drawn on the walls, floor and ceiling. Then she noticed the other drawings scattered around. The patient was sitting on the floor with his back to her and hugging a pillow with green eyes also drawn on it.

"John's a real sad case," Jenny said sadly. "He came to us after being clipped by a car. He had a breakdown in the physical hospital and they asked for a psych consult. Dr. Rennick found that he showed signs of schizophrenia and had him transferred here. He's so sad that it really tugs at the heartstrings, as the saying goes." Janet didn't say anything but just stared at the room. Messy! She decided that it would be the first room she cleaned and that pillow had to go! Everything had to be cleaned and she would be the first one to do it. Then she heard Jenny still talking, "He doesn't leave his room and he doesn't go to group. The last time he had been forced to leave his room, he had a fit and was restrained. The doctor wasn't here at the time and his substitute ordered ECT for poor John. He hasn't been the same since."

Janet nodded absently as she planned how she was going to clean that room! A week later she had her chance. Dr. Rennick had told her to leave the drawings up and not to disturb the patient. He said the patient was exempt from group which didn't sit right with her. She decided that she would disregard the doctor's orders since her own sense of order told her that he was totally wrong in his thinking.

She got her chance when Dr. Rennick was hospitalized for pneumonia and another doctor was assigned to the patient. Like her, he agreed that John Doe 362006 was not to be treated any different than the other patients and he gave her the okay to make the patient go to group. The other nurses and orderlies tried to dissuade her but she was adamant and had orderlies from another ward help her get the patient out of his room, without his pillow, and into group. She told the men that when group was done, the patient was to go to the dayroom for social interaction with the other patients.

It took three men to wrestle the patient out of his room while another grabbed his pillow and threw it on the bed. They never noticed the desperate look in his eyes as he watched the pillow hit the bed. Then, he was manhandled to the room where group was taking place. Immediately, he went to a corner in the room where he kept his back to the rest of the patients and the attending. When John Doe was taken out of the room, Janet got a bucket of hot, soapy water, and a scrub brush then entered the room. She scrubbed all the marks off the walls, ceiling and floor. Finding salt on the door and window frames, she cleaned it off, scrubbing until there was no sign of salt on them. Then she went to the bed where she changed the sheets, finding the green crayon that John had gotten from the doctor. Pocketing it, she finished making the bed. The last thing she did was to change the pillow. Now, the patient had a clean room with a made bed and a new, unmarked pillow. Satisfied, she picked up the soiled linen, cleaning supplies and the offending pillow and left.

The patient known to the staff as John Doe 362006 but to his family as Sam Singer wasn't having a good day. First of all, the new nurse had forced him out of his room to talk to a bunch of strangers. After checking them out and finding that none of them were who he was looking for, he sat in a corner and rocked to center himself. He didn't quite remember who he had lost but he did remember the eyes and the face. Enduring the strangers was hard enough in a small number but then he was forced to go to something called a dayroom which was filled with more strangers. It made him very nervous and every time he tried to go back to his safe spot a man would stop him and turn him back into that room.

Meds were given in the dayroom and Sam was just about to throw people into the walls until the new sedative hit his system then all he wanted to do was to curl up on one of the couches, not being allowed to sit or lay on the floor. Lunch was something else he had to endure but, since he wouldn't eat on his own, he was threatened with being force fed. Intolerable that someone would touch him without his permission. More meds in the dayroom later but by this time, he felt as though he had pins and needles sticking in him. Dinner was something else he had to endure then it was time for his bath. By the time he was allowed to go back to his room, Sam was traumatized to the point that he didn't move. The orderly had to almost carry him back but when he saw what happened to his room, he came alive.

Sam threw the orderly out of his room and started to look for his pillow and the green crayon but couldn't find them. He tore the room apart, screaming as he did. Smashing his hands, feet and head on the walls in his frustration and fear, Sam started to bleed profusely. He didn't see the nurses and orderlies coming to grab him and inject some sedatives into his body. He didn't feel the prick of the needle or the hands that took him to a quiet room. He didn't hear the words of gentleness and calm. He was panicked since all his protections were gone and the only thing closest to what he had lost was missing.

After spending hours in the quiet room, he was brought back to his own space where he made certain that his stuff was indeed gone, he thought about where they could be. He remembered how the new nurse looked at him. It was like the looks he had gotten in some of his past lives where they had decided that he was evil and must be destroyed. Snarling, he charged out of his room to the staff room where the nurse was getting ready to leave for the day. Ripping the door open, he started to tear through the whole room, looking for his crayon and pillow. Finally, with the nurse screaming for help, the orderlies came in and grabbed him. He fought hard, throwing a couple of them off but they kept piling on until they pinned them to the floor.

"Sedate him!" Janet ordered. The orderly who was on the top of the pile nodded and went to the meds cabinet and got a syringe with a vial of a sedative. He didn't pause to look at what it was because the ruckus in the staff room had increased. Shakily, he plunged the needle into the vial and pulled out a dosage that he thought might work. Running back to the room, he freed one of John Doe's arms and plunged the needle in, depressing the plunger. The effect was almost immediate and the patient stopped fighting.

"Put him in the quiet room again and this time, make sure he's restrained," Janet said authoritatively. "I'll inform his doctor of the recent development." The orderlies nodded but some of the nurses who had come into the room after hearing the noise, just looked at her in disapproval. Janet glared at them, daring them to say anything but nobody voiced an objection. Putting her purse down, she went to a computer and entered the incident in the patient's file. Then, without anyone noticing, she put in an order for ECT and used the doctor's ID, something she had learned her first day. Smiling, she left the hospital with clear orders to get the room back into shape for the next day.

When Sam next woke up, he was on a table with electrodes on his head and a bit in his mouth. Eyes wide, he struggled against the restraints until the new sedation kicked in and he fell back in a boneless heap, unable to stop what was going to happen. Tears started to leak from his eyes as he realized that everything that he had found since the last ECT was going to be lost. He was afraid he would never remember the green eyes again. He decided, before the machine was activated, that he wanted to sleep forever if he lost everything again. The machine hummed as the resident worked it and Sam's world flared white and he knew no more.

The resident watched as the patient went through the seizure then he motioned to the orderly that the session was complete and he could take the patient back to his room. As the orderly worked, he didn't notice the resident's eyes flash black.

Jenny didn't like the new nurse. There was something off about her, especially the way the woman reacted to John Doe's room. Almost as if the woman was ill herself but Jenny just laughed that off. Each potential employee had to take an MMPI before being hired. It was a way for the Institute to guarantee the safety of their patients ever since a family had sued when one of their loved ones had been hurt when a doctor, who had been ill herself, ordered controversial treatments not seen since the 1950's. Now, Jenny's alarms were ringing and throwing up all sorts of flags whenever she saw Janet.

When she got on the ward at the beginning of her shift, she saw an orderly coming out of John's room. When he saw her, he hurried to tell her what had been happening on her day off. She was horrified to hear that Janet had cleaned the room after forcing John out in the ward. To her, John's reaction to his missing items was understandable, even to where he was searching the staff room but when she heard about the ECT that morning, she ran to the room to check on her patient. John had stolen her heart along with many of the other staff and it hurt to find out someone had harmed him by not paying attention to the doctor's orders.

Praying for John to be fine, Jenny entered the room and her heart fell. John lay quietly on his bed, too quiet since he was a restless sleeper even sedated, and he was pale. She went over to take his pulse and found it slow with his skin cool. Slightly panicking, she tried to rouse him by rubbing her knuckles on his sternum but there was no response. Taking a pen light out, she lifted his eyelids to check his pupil response and found that they responded to light but she could see that he wasn't there anymore. There had always been a pull in her soul whenever he met her eye which was very rare. Jenny pulled a chair over and sat, holding John's hand begging him to come back. After an hour, she got up and found Polly, another nurse who's heart John had stolen, and asked her to sit with the patient until she got back from making some phone calls. Polly's eyes were wet when Jenny told her what happened and she immediately agreed.

The first call Jenny made was to Mrs. Dowd to make a complaint against the new nurse. Acting In Loco Parentis for John, Jenny told Mrs. Dowd that an investigation into Janet's behavior in regards to John was warranted otherwise she would make out a legal complaint. Mrs. Dowd assured Jenny that an investigation would be started as soon as they hung up the phone. The next call she made was to Dr. Rennick to let him know what had happened.

He was understandably furious but was calm when talking to Jenny. Dr. Rennick asked her to do a few things. One was to go to his office and get the photographs that he had taken of John's room so she could put the sigils back up correctly. He said that that may help bring John out of his catatonia. The other thing he asked was to find a green crayon to put in John's hand. He said that he had another set of crayons also in his office. Jenny agreed readily with that, again hoping that the gestures would help her patient. The third thing was more difficult, Dr. Rennick said, the pillow that John had needed to be found and returned to the patient as soon as possible. After a few more instructions, Jenny and the Doctor hung up. After taking a couple of calming, deep breaths, the doctor did something he hadn't done in years-he prayed for his patient, hoping that help would come. He was afraid that irreversible damage had been done. Dr. Rennick decided that enough was enough and he was needed back at the Institute. Pressing the call button, he struggled to sit up. He was going to check himself out AMA and get back to the people who relied on him.

When the doctor stumbled into the Institute, he made his way to the ward where John was. He finally got to the room and was shocked. Jenny had the pictures in her hands, trying to recreate the sigils but the thing that shocked him was the condition that his patient was in. Jenny had to hook the patient up to IVs and an EKG machine. She also wrangled up an oxygen machine and the mask now lay on John's face. Dr. Rennick felt like a total failure. He had failed to make sure his patient was safe. Now, because of one nurse, that patient was in a coma, not a catatonic state as was originally thought.

The doctor noticed that a green crayon was in John's hand but the pillow that he had hugged for security wasn't around. "Jenny, did you find John's pillow?" he asked his nurse.

Jenny's eyes became moist as she said, "Yes, doctor. We found the pillow but it was in the garbage, cut into pieces. I didn't know if you wanted me to try another one so I waited until you came in. Um, doctor?"

"Yes?"

"It looked as though he drew green eyes on it," she answered.

"Okay, let's see if we can help him by giving him another pillow but make sure you draw some eyes on it, green of course. Use some permanent markers so the eyes won't rub off. I'm going to get a picture he drew of a face and see if some of our contacts in the police department can't help us find the person he drew, if he exists. Then, I'll bring a copy of it to put on the wall to see if that will bring him out of it. Keep talking to him and I want a nurse in here with him 24 hours a day, someone that you can trust. Okay, Jenny?" Dr. Rennick asked.

Jenny smiled and said, "More than."

When Janet came in for her next shift, she went to John's room to revel in the cleanliness. Her jaw dropped open when she saw the sigils were back, a pillow with green eyes drawn on it was next to the patient's head, a green crayon was in his hand and a nurse was sitting next to him, reading aloud.

"What is going on here?" she demanded to know.

"I've been assigned to watch over the patient," the nurse answered. "Dr. Rennick is in his office and wishes to speak to you." Then she bent her head back to the book and ignored Janet who stood in the doorway with her mouth open. Fuming, Janet left the room and went to the doctor's office, planning to give him a piece of her mind about a smoothly running ward.

Knocking on the doctor's door, she was told to enter where she found the doctor waiting for her with the Personnel Director and an MMPI. "Janet, please take a seat," the doctor said. Janet nodded and sat in the one empty chair near the desk.

"Janet, we found that, to our dismay we had forgotten to have you take the MMPI which is a must for all of our employees," Mrs. Dowd said smoothly. She and Dr. Rennick agreed that she would take the lead in the interview. "You will be compensated for your time while you take it."

"None of my other employers had needed me to take the test," Janet protested. "And they were very happy with my work."

"At this Institute, it is a requirement ever since we were sued some years ago. It should take you just a couple of hours to complete," Mrs. Dowd was relentless.

"And if I refuse?" Janet asked.

"Then you will no longer work here," Mrs. Dowd answered.

"That's illegal! I have a contract!" Janet yelled.

"There is a codicil in each contract that says we have the right to terminate employment within the first thirty days for any reason," Mrs. Dowd was unfazed by the outburst.

"Is this because of that patient whose room was a pigsty?" Janet growled.

Dr. Rennick took that question. "In part. I had given strict instructions on John Doe 362006's treatment. One was his room was to be left alone and the other was no ECT. You were on duty and the only one who had signed the orders for such an action _after_, mind you, you cleaned the markings off his walls. Against my orders. You also used my I.D. which is a fireable offence in and of itself. Because of your actions, my patient is now in a coma, not a catatonic state. We can be sued by his family, if we find them and it would be your fault so, if you don't mind, please start the MMPI."

Janet's jaw tightened in anger and she said, "No, I'm well within my rights to refuse."

"Very well, Ms. Damon your services are no longer required. Please wait until your belongings are brought here and then we will escort you out of the building. You are not to come back on the grounds or you will be arrested for trespassing," Mrs. Dowd said. She borrowed Dr. Rennick's phone to call up to the ward for an orderly to bring Janet's stuff down.

Janet couldn't believe what was happening all because of one patient. She gritted her teeth and vowed that she would have her revenge on all of them. When the orderly came with her belongings, Mrs. Dowd and the same orderly escorted her to the security desk. The guard took custody but as she went by him, she grabbed his gun and shot him, Mrs. Dowd and the orderly. She went back to Dr. Rennick's office but he wasn't there so she ran up the stairs to the ward. Swiftly, she went to the room of the patient who ruined her life, firing the gun at Jenny, a couple of orderlies and another nurse. When she got to the room, she fired the gun at the nurse stationed there then she went to the bed where John Doe was laying. Smiling manically, she aimed the gun but before she could pull the trigger, the patient opened his eyes.

_Sam knew that he was in danger, even in his deep sleep, so he opened his eyes to catch sight of the soul in front of him. Telekinetically, he reached out to her and pulled her towards him. The soul was sick, he knew and that was the reason she had hurt him. He could see the swirls of confusion and illness in the mind and soul but a small spark of humanity was there, quivering in fear and despair. He could have killed her for what she had done, but the Omega knew that her actions were out of her hands. He could also see demonic influence on her recent actions and he didn't like it. His eyes glowed as he started to heal her and break the influence from her soul. When he was done, he turned his head and closed his eyes to once more sink into oblivion._

Janet, released from the patient's eyes, dropped the gun and fell to her knees as orderlies and security personnel ran into the room. Dr. Rennick came in after them and gave her a sedative. Gently, he lifted her to her feet and had her escorted to an exam room. The paramedics were on their way but for the nurse who had been reading to John, it was too late.

For the next couple of weeks, Dr. Rennick, Jenny and the personnel who had been on duty were questioned by the police. They were very lucky that the Institute's lawyers were able to keep the media from finding out about the shooting. Janet, it was found, was a functioning schizophrenic who had positive symptoms. Because the Institute was where she had her psychotic break, it was decided to send her somewhere else for treatment.

While they were dealing with the police, Dr. Rennick gave the drawing to a friend of his and asked if they would check it out to see if that person depicted was real. His friend agreed and faxed the picture to all of the police departments around the country. When the sheriff of Sioux Falls saw it, he called Bobby Singer to tell him that the police in Houston was looking for Dean.

_A/N- Many times, schizophrenics have religious delusions and that is what I wanted to bring out. They can also have OCD tendencies, hallucinations, paranoia, and depression. There is a school of thought that says that bipolar disorder is genetically linked to schizophrenia. If you want to read more about Schizophrenia, go to the internet and look it up on some of the medical sites. I got most of my information from Wikipedia._

"_ECT or Electroconvulsive Therapy is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect" (Wikipedia). The use of ECT in the treatment of schizophrenia is unknown to this author but for the sake of the story, that's what the demons had done to Sam. It is true that in a very few cases, it can cause brain damage or even death. But those cases are very, very few in numbers. A person I know was turned down for ECT since he had had a case of pneumonia before his scheduled appointment. The doctors are very careful._

_I took the layout of the ward from the book __I Never Promised You A Rose Garden_ _by Joanne Greenberg, a semi-autobiographic story._

_The MMPI is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. It is used to determine personality structure and psychopathology. It is used in conjunction of Secret and Top Secret security clearances and also those jobs that have extensive responsibility for life and property such as the CIA, DoD (Department of Defense) and the Federal Aviation Administration to name a few. In my story, the Institute not only gave the patients the MMPI but also new staff members._

_In Loco Parentis is the legal doctrine under which an institution or individual assumes parental rights, duties and obligations without going through the formalities of legal adoption. The most common usage of in loco parentis relates to teachers and students (LawBrain website). _

_There is no such Institute as the Crockett Institute for the Mentally Ill. That is a totally made up institution. _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten-To Be Healed

The guard at the gate of the Crockett Institute for the Mentally Ill looked in appreciation of the 1967 Chevy Impala that drove up. The driver stopped by the gatehouse and rolled down the window, "We have an appointment to see Dr. Albert Rennick," and gave his driver's license to the man. The guard checked the computer and found that a Dean Singer, Caleb Singer and Robert Singer were indeed on the visitor list. Ever since the tragedy of a few weeks ago, security had been stepped up. Four people had been killed when a nurse who had been fired, got a gun from a security guard and started to shoot up the place. Ten others had been wounded and were expected to make a full recovery. Jenny, the pretty nurse on the Male Locked Ward had been injured the worst, with the bullet lodging itself by her spine but the doctors managed to take it out. It wasn't known if she would work at the Institute again but it was sincerely hoped that she would.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the guard motioned the driver to the visitor's parking lot and gave him instructions to go to the main desk where the receptionist would page the doctor for them. The driver, Dean, smiled tightly and nodded his thanks before driving on.

When they got to the receptionist, she paged the doctor immediately and had them wait until an orderly had come to escort them to the doctor's office. At the door, the orderly knocked then let them in to see two men sitting down, one behind a desk and another in front of it. The one behind the desk, presumably the doctor, got up and shook hands with them.

"Hello, my name is Albert Rennick and my colleague is Mr. Thomas Brown, the Institute's lawyer. He's here to help clarify a few things," the man said.

Bobby took over the introductions for their side, "This is my oldest son, Caleb and my middle son, Dean." The doctor took a long time in looking at Dean then he smiled.

"Would you believe that I would know your face anywhere?" he asked. Dean looked puzzled as the doctor walked back to his desk and, opening a file, took out a picture to show to the trio. "It's an amazing likeness, don't you think?" There, in crayon, was Dean's face in all its glory. His green eyes were accented and bright. Then the doctor brought out a second picture of Dean showing his protective side. "One of my patients had drawn this when I asked what he was looking for."

"What do you mean, looking for?" Dean asked.

"He was drawing pictures of torture, always different and always had eyes that were either black or yellow except these pictures. I had asked a rhetorical question but he answered anyway. The ones that disturbed me though are the pictures of torture. Was he ever in a position to be tortured?" The Singers shook their heads. "Well, the first were done in the first two months he was here. The rest were done a month ago. You can see the difference in the point of view," Dr. Rennick said. The Singer men looked at the pictures. To Dean, they were very familiar but to Bobby and Caleb, it was the first time they saw with their own eyes what Dean had been put through.

"Bobby, he was looking in Hell for me," Dean whispered. "My brother was in Hell trying to find me." His expressive green eyes were full of pain as he spoke.

"I take it you know my patient?" the doctor asked, intrigued at their reactions.

"Yeah, 6'4", long brown hair with hazel eyes?" The doctor nodded. "It's my youngest, Sam. He went missing around nine months ago after his brother was kidnapped. They had been looking for their uncle when that happened and, from what I heard, the bastards had drugged my baby before setting him free. We got Johnny and Dean back a couple of months ago but we never did find Sam."

The doctor grinned and said, "Funny you should have a brother named John. That's what we've been calling…Sam, is it? John Doe 362006 was brought to our institute eight months ago with the diagnosis of schizophrenia and he seemed to be doing well until…well, I was gone with a family emergency and the doctor who took over my cases decided that Sam needed ECT or electroconvulsive therapy for depression, which is a symptom of schizophrenia. When I got back, I found Sam in a catatonic state which he started to come out of a month ago. He began to draw that second set then but we had an incident recently involving a nurse that resulted in him having another ECT session which put him in a coma…"

"WHAT! Didn't you tell that nurse he shouldn't have any more treatments? Or did you go along with it to hurt him?" Dean yelled. Bobby put a calming hand on his son's shoulder.

"Dean, let the man speak before ripping him a new one." Dean nodded tersely and turned his attention back to the doctor who nervously began to explain what had happened. What he told the Singers broke their hearts and, at the same time, made them proud of their youngest. He had actually made bonds with some of his nurses and the doctor in an effort to keep himself grounded and sane. They could tell that by the way the doctor talked about Sam, the affection was evident in every word the man spoke. After he was finished, Dr. Rennick looked down at his desk in shame, "I'm so sorry that Sam had to go through that kind of torture. Be assured that the nurse, Janet Damon, doesn't work here anymore and is actually a patient in another facility. It was strange, though, when we finally caught up with her, she had shot the guard, a few orderlies and nurses, and the Personnel Director. She was in your brother's room, on her knees with the gun on the floor. The gun still had a bullet in it, enough to kill or harm your brother but she didn't even shoot at him. What I can't figure out is _why_? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she didn't hurt him but why then? She was on a mission to kill Sam so…"

Dean knew why without even having been there. Sam somehow came out of his coma long enough to help someone. He never felt prouder of his brother than he had at that moment. Bobby and Caleb knew that Sam had done something but they weren't sure what. The lawyer chose that moment to speak, interrupting their thoughts, "Because of the tragic events that have happened to your brother, the Institute is willing to compensate you monetarily and also will not charge you for his treatments and stay. We regret everything that has happened and we hope that you will accept our apology." The Singers nodded their agreement though Dean was still pissed about the whole fiasco. He wasn't angry at the Institute or their employees but at the demons who had started the whole thing. The lawyer opened the briefcase that had been sitting by his feet and took out a packet of papers. Handing them and a check to Bobby he said, "In these papers are the Institute's pledge that if your son has any problems because of the incidents that had occurred, we will pay all future medical expenses for him and counseling for your family if you feel that there is a need. The check is for his pain and suffering. I had talked to a judge who believed that the amount is compensatory." Bobby took a double look at the amount: $750,000.

Showing the check to his sons, especially Dean, he cleared his throat and said, "Thank you. I just wish this hadn't happened but I'm happy to see that you are stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility. We do have one request now. Can we see Sam?"

Dr. Rennick stood up and, with a gesture, had them follow him up to the ward. They knew Sam's room by the orderly who was sitting in front of the door. "Hi Barney, these are John Doe's family and they want to see him," the doctor said to the orderly who moved his chair so the Singers could go in. Bobby and Caleb saw the sigils that covered the wall, ceiling and floor while Dean only had eyes for his brother who lay still in his bed. Choking a bit, he rushed over to the bed, oblivious of the nurse sitting next to it. She quickly got up and let Dean sink down on the chair.

"Hey, baby brother, I'm here. I gotcha and nothing bad will happen to you again, I promise," he babbled as he carded his fingers through Sam's long hair. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you again and I'm sorry you were looking for me in Hell. I wasn't there, I swear. Azazel's kid had me for a while but I got away. It's your turn to come back to us, Sammy. I'll help you out." Then, in front of a crowd of people, Dean did something he had never shown to anyone else. Touching his brother's chest, Dean closed his eyes and called Sam's soul to him. He didn't want to take it out of his brother, making him vulnerable, until they got home but he wanted the soul to know he had been found by his big brother and that he wasn't alone. A slight golden glow emitted from both Sam's chest and Dean's hand. The other people in the room watched in fascination as the glow from Dean's hand threw out a silvery thread to connect with the one in Sam's chest. "See, I'm here. I won't be going anywhere. Sleep Sammy. I'll be there when you wake up. Love you, baby brother," Dean murmured in Sam's ear. The glows receded as did the silver thread but if they squinted, the others could still see it.

Dean gathered his brother up and put Sam's head on his chest, the same position that Bobby and Caleb had seen the brothers in thousands of times before. "Dad, we need to get home soon. Sammy doesn't like it here, says that the food sucks," Dean said. If Bobby didn't know his sons, he would think that Dean was talking out of his own desires to have his brother back. But Bobby knew his kids, knew that the boys were telepathic and, if Dean said that Sam wanted to leave, that he didn't like something, then Bobby knew that it was really Sam that spoke, not Dean.

Bobby turned to the doctor and asked, "Is there any paperwork we need to fill out to take my son out of here?"

Dr. Rennick was uncomfortable, "Unfortunately, he's been involuntarily committed by the courts. You would need a court order to have us release him."

"WHAT! No! I'm not leaving without him!" Dean yelled, his arms tightened around his brother.

"Um, I usually don't suggest this since we are the top Institute when it comes to dealing with the mentally ill but we can transfer Sam to another facility closer to your home. Court orders state that he needs to be under the care of a psychiatrist and kept from the public for the good of everyone. The court believes him to be a danger to not only others but also to himself," Dr. Rennick said.

Bobby thought for a minute the said, "One of my brothers is a licensed psychiatrist and my sister-in-law is a nurse who could take care of the psychiatric orders. Our home is isolated from the public with a fence around it and there is always somebody around. Could that help with the protection part?"

The doctor thought for a few minutes. Legally, Sam needed to stay in a hospital or an institution of the same kind as the one he was currently in but, if they stretched the point and the lawyer worked on it with them he could make the transfer happen. "Give me some time, okay? In the meantime, I'm going to let the staff know that you have permission to stay with Sam as long as you want until we get this resolved. As for the food, um, there is a staff cafeteria downstairs where you can get something to eat. Just don't let the patients near any metal utensil or glass since most of these patients can be dangerous. Keep the door closed and stay away from them and you should be fine. I'll make sure there is an orderly outside the door at all times. An orderly will escort you to and from the room." He turned to leave then turned back, "I'm going to do my best to get Sam back home to you." He smiled at the men then left the room. Bobby looked around the room and sighed. Then, getting out a couple of pieces of chalk and some salt, he and Caleb began to reinforce the sigils already in place. After that chore was done, he called Jim to let him know what was going on.

It took two weeks, Jim coming down with his credentials and Kate following in a van to carry Sam home before the courts would release him to the custody of his family with a warning to keep him on his medications and keep up with the therapy. Dr. Rennick was frankly surprised at the ease the Singers were able to get their relative but he didn't know about the resources Dean had in the beings of Castiel and Balthazar who influenced the judge to release Sam to his family's care. After that, it was easy for the family to bring their son back home and in a safe place.

Everyone was there to meet the two vehicles. John had been very worried that Dean would not want him around but Missouri just hit him over the head with her spoon and told him not to be dumb. Neither Sam nor Dean held him responsible for his actions while he had been possessed. Besides, she told him, if he left that would hinder Sam's healing since he would be worried about John. When she said that, John had to agree to stay though he was very uncomfortable about it.

As the vehicles pulled up to the house, there was a jostling within the family to help get Sam out of the Impala. After the group had left Texas, they pulled over and moved Sam to the front seat of the Impala where Dean was sitting in the driver's seat. Bobby made sure to lean Sam into Dean then he got in the back with Caleb. For the rest of the drive, they made sure the boys were together, touching at all times.

When they had looked at the charts for Sam's medication, Jim and Kate, after talking to a medical doctor, decided that a gradual decrease would be the best for him since many of the drugs were habit forming. Dean agreed though he wanted his brother's system to be purged immediately he didn't want Sam to go through withdrawals with everything else that was going on. The hallucinations he could experience would probably bring back memories of Hell and Dean wasn't ready for his brother to remember that. He also agreed with Jim that Sam may need some counseling for the trauma he had endured. It had been like this when Sam was very young, whatever Dean agreed with would happen but if he didn't there was no way in Hell that the project would proceed. Jim was just happy that Dean agreed with the counseling since he sensed that Sam would need it after his experiences at the Institute.

When the vehicles came to a stop in front of the house, the family took action. Jim and Kate got out of the van while Bobby and Caleb exited the backseat of the Impala. Then came the tricky part as it was the only time that Dean would allow Sam out of his grasp. Carefully opening the front passenger door, Jim and John eased Sam out. As Dean got out of the car, the two men brought Sam into the house where Josh and Rufus were waiting to carry him up to the second floor. Jim and Kate went ahead to set up the boys' room for the IV's and got a nice, warm bath running since Dean indicated that he wanted to wash his brother and put him in some soft clothing. When the men got Sam to the bottom of the stairs leading to the third floor, Caleb and Ash took over. John kept pace with Dean as he too went up the stairs to their bedroom, making sure the young man didn't fall over in his exhaustion. When they got there, Dean looked at his brother's face then ushered everyone out of the room so he could start to get Sam ready for his bath.

Taking a couple of steadying breaths, Dean went over to his baby brother and started to undress him like he had done when they were younger. After he was done, he effortlessly picked his brother up bridal style and took him into the bathroom where the tub was filled and waiting. He was careful and thorough washing his brother, making sure that Sam was clean before taking him out of the water and drying him off. Then he brought his brother back into the bedroom where Dean clothed him in sweat pants, tee shirt and socks. When he was done, he went to the door and opened it where Jim and Kate stood waiting. While the other two put Sam into bed and got the IV port into his arm, Dean went to the bathroom for a shower and to change his own clothes to the same kind as his brother. Missouri sent up some stew and a cup of tea for the brothers. Dean used the same technique to feed his brother that he had when Bobby first found them. He took a spoonful of stew and chewed the pieces fine then, turning Sam's head and opening his mouth, he transferred the stew from his own mouth into Sam's. Closing Sam's jaw and rubbing his throat, Dean was able to get his brother to swallow. Then he took another bite of stew, this time swallowing it himself. He repeated the actions until the stew was finished and the bowl scraped clean then he started on the tea. Taking a mouthful, he transferred it to his brother but this time, Sam's swallowing reflex had kicked in and he didn't need the throat massage. Dean smiled since that meant Sam was close to the surface. Looking at his brother, he remembered when Sammy was tiny and the only way that Dean could feed him was to chew everything very fine and feed it to his brother like he had seen mother birds do for their babies. It was only after they got to Bobby's that Sam learned how to chew and eat for himself.

When they were done with the meal, Kate came into the room and put an IV port in Dean's arm. He had told her that the healing he had to do with Sam would take time and they would be unconscious. It was her idea that, to keep them hydrated and to be able to get Sam of his medications without too much pain, that they should have IVs in. Dean, again surprising his family, agreed with her. After the IV was set, Dean carefully rearranged Sam until his head was on Dean's chest. Kate carded her fingers through Dean's hair then tucked the blankets around the pair, picked up the dishes and left the two to their healing.

Dean looked at his baby brother and smiled. Soulmate, Yang to his Yin, the other half of him, he felt complete only when Sam was in his arms and he knew that Sam felt the same way. It was the reason for Sam's behavior when Dean had had dates or hookups but it transcended human love and rivaled that of Angels. It was never physical, even in their past lives, but something more. Because of that love, whenever one died, the other soon followed. It was also because of that love that Dean could call Sam's soul to him so they could heal and re-bond. Dean took a deep breath and concentrated. He could feel himself falling into Sam's mind and started to call out to his brother.

_Sam was lost and alone. He had been looking for something precious that he had lost but, when he almost found it, he was torn away from it again. This time, though, he was too tired to look in Hell for it and he hid himself in a forest of loss and despair. When the silver rope appeared, he grabbed it eagerly and could feel something on the other end, tugging at it to get his attention. Assurances and love was sent to him. He started to talk to the other, telling him how he felt and even that he didn't like the food where he was. The other let him know that he would never be alone again but he had to be patient until he could see the other again. Sam wanted to see him now but agreed to wait._

_Four of his five senses started to respond to the other. He could smell the scent that meant home to him, feel the skin that made him feel safe, hear the heartbeat that mirrored his own and taste the lips that was love. The only thing he hadn't done was see the other but he was assured that that would happen soon. So he patiently waited. It was hard to do since the forest he was in was dark, cold and frightening. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered him much but since he lost the other, he had been alone. _

_Sometimes, the forest would clear and he would glimpse past lives. Many showed his death as a child. Burning at a stake for being a witch, drowned for being a demon, drawn and quartered, head cut off, left to die of exposure, all of which made him fear humans except for the few who had stood up for him and, usually, was condemned to share his fate. Though the scariest memories was when the other was killed for being different or even defending him. Unable to stand those memories, Sam faded back into the forest only to be drawn to the next awful memory. Only the voice, scent, feel and taste of the other kept him from despairing too much._

_He was hiding under a bush when he heard a voice calling to him, asking him to come out but he was scared that it was someone who wanted to hurt him. The voice was gentle, calming and loving to the point it coaxed him out. Then he caught the scent of the other in the forest which started to lighten up. There was a tug on the rope that he had tied to his hand and he felt a compulsion to follow it. When he finally came to the end of it, a golden light lit up the other, the one he had lost. Tears came to his eyes as he ran to his Yin, his other half. _

"_Hey, Sammy. Told you I found you," Dean said as he allowed his soul to envelope his brother. _

"_Dean, oh God, Dean! You're here, with me," Sam said between sobs. _

"_Just like I promised, baby brother. Never going to let you go," Dean replied while pulling his brother in for a hug. In response, Sam's own soul rose and meshed with his brother's to cover both of them, healing their hurts._

It had been three long weeks since Sam was brought home and Dean sequestered them in their room. Dean had told them that the type of healing that Sam needed was soul deep. They had to re-forge the bond between them and that would take some time since Dean planned to take them back to their early years of this life. Back to the time before Bobby found them in the woods on that fateful day. Dean said that he would also make sure the bonds he shared with the rest of the family would be entwined with the new one between the brothers. That action would actually help Sam heal faster in the long run. Bobby, John and Caleb barely left the brothers' side as the golden glow enveloped them. Every so often, the Angels would stop in to check on them and let the others know how they were doing but it didn't help much. The family wanted them back, it was that simple.

Bobby was the one who noticed the glow was dying. Then he realized that Sam's fingers were twitching along with Dean's eye lids. Excited, he tried to nail himself to his chair in order not to grab both boys and frighten them. John had been lightly sleeping when he sensed a change in the boys. Waking up with a snort, his eyes fell on the increasingly active brothers. Caleb also woke up with a start, having heard them in his mind as they talked about what they were going to do. "They're waking up," he said unnecessarily. Both of his companions just nodded their heads.

It was a slow waking with the glow taking an hour to finally die but when it did, it only took minutes for Sam's eyes to open, then Dean's. Sam snuggled into his brother as Dean said, "Uh, hi."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven-Retribution

Over the next few days, the brothers stayed very close to each other. Sam had stopped talking verbally altogether and Dean had to explain that he had reverted to some of his very old habits. In other words, he had forgotten how to speak. This time, because of the bond to the family that Dean had woven into their own, Sam wasn't silent by a long shot. The others realized that they could hear his telepathic speech very well…so well that sometimes they had to tell him to stop thinking. Dean grinned when Sam looked embarrassed then he taught them how to block the errant thoughts.

The one good thing about the telepathic link was that Sam was able to let everyone know what had happened to him after Dean was kidnapped. It wasn't just a matter of having been drugs forced on him but the demons had actually injected him with Azazel's blood, trying to get Sam back to where he should have been if Dean hadn't cleansed him as a child. Which meant that Sam was given more than just a few drops but a couple hundred cc's of the stuff. The plan didn't work because his powers were at full strength but the chaos it temporarily produced in his system caused him to have symptoms of a psychotic break and that was the reason he ended up wandering in the street to be clipped by the car.

"_They wanted to break my bond with Dean,_" he communicated. "_Azazel wanted most of my powers to be blocked to the point that I would be on the same playing field as his other 'special' children. At one point, a demon named Ruby would be offering to help me get Dean out of Hell and she would feed me her blood, getting me addicted to her so I would end up breaking the last seal on Lucifer's cage. They wanted my powers as the Omega to boost Lucifer's own powers when he used me as his Vessel._"

"Do you know his next move?" John asked.

"No but we can guess," Dean answered. "We know that Hunters had killed many of the 'special' children when they were babies so not many still exist. May be another reason why Azazel was so desperate to get his claws into Sammy. Azazel's next move would be to gather his kids in an isolated area so they can duke it out. According to Castiel, the winner then would be used to open a Gate of Hell using the gun made by Samuel Colt…"

"Wait a minute, I thought that was just a myth!" Rufus exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, no. The gun is in the possession of one Daniel Elkins. I know the guy and he's a stubborn son of a bitch who hunted vampires until he holed up in a cabin he built ages ago," Bobby said.

"Problem is that if we go after it, we could be ambushed by demons trying to get it. We'll need to take alternate transportation there and back to ensure our safety," Dean said thoughtfully.

"Uh, Dean? By we, you mean…" John asked.

"Me and Sammy. Before you say anything let me explain," Dean held his hand up to forestall any arguments. "We can get there and back before the demons know what we are doing but if any of you went, they could track you and maybe even kill you. We can't and we won't take that chance. Not after everything we went through recently."

"_We have been able to access all of our powers for the first time in centuries,_" Sam revealed. "_It's the first time that we have been able to achieve adulthood since before the fall of Babel. One of our powers is of teleportation, similar to Angels flying. Since we are elementals, usage of our powers will not be detected by Angels or Demons, only the Virtues and those Angels they had appointed to us will be able to track our movements. We can get to Elkins and back quickly._"

It was the first time either brother had baldly talked about what they actually were or that they could access their more ancient memories. Every person in that room felt the weight of ages as they looked at Sam and Dean. They also felt sad for the two that they never had a real chance at a normal life. Even if they hadn't been born elementals, just by being sons of a Hunter would have meant years of travel and Hunting with no close friends of their age. Neither Sam nor Dean allowed them to wallow in their sorrow for very long.

"It may take a few days, especially if Elkins is as stubborn as Bobby remembers," Dean said crisply.

"I don't like the fact the two of you will be doing this so soon after we got Sam back," Bobby started. "But I also know that when you two make up your minds, you can't be swayed. So, what can we do on our end?"

The boys looked at each other and silently communicated. Nobody knew what was being said but they could "hear" the two talk. Finally, Dean turned to the group, "Unfortunately, anything that needs to be done is dangerous since it would mean you leave the area. This whole place and the shop are protected plus there's protection charms placed all over Sioux Falls. Demons may be able to be in the town but they can't use their powers."

"Dean, did you do that?" Caleb asked in awe of his brother.

"Naw, just had a little help from some friends," Dean answered cryptically.

"When?" Bobby wanted to know.

"Erm, when we got back with Sammy," Dean turned red. He was now found out about a gift he had arranged for his family and the community. Usually, he worked behind the scenes, preferring to be anonymous. He was really shy but his public face was that of a confident, brash young man. Only Sam had known the real Dean behind the masks and he kept it secret. It was one of the ways he kept his brother safe.

"When are you leaving?" John asked quietly. He had made up his mind to go with them, no matter what they said. He didn't want to lose them a third time.

"A couple of days," Dean answered, lying through his teeth. He knew what John wanted to do and why but Sam had had a vision of John dying after selling his soul to Azazel in a bargain for Dean's life. It alternately warmed Dean's heart to know he was so loved but also made his blood run cold thinking of one of his family members dying and going to Hell.

Bobby looked at his son strangely. He had a bad feeling about what was being said and what had been left unsaid. Knowing his sons like he did, he wouldn't be surprised if the two idgits snuck out of the house in the dead of the night. He promised himself that he would be sleeping on the couch for the next couple of nights to keep that from happening. Caleb also had a feeling that Dean hadn't been telling the truth but he had a better idea about how his brothers would sneak out of the house and decided to sleep in the Impala for a while. There was no way that Dean would go anywhere without his baby, if he could help it. Ash also knew that Dean was lying but because he wasn't a Hunter he didn't entertain the thought of going with the brothers. What he was, though, was a damn good researcher so he decided to pull any information on Samuel Colt to give to them before they left. He had a feeling that he needed to hurry since he had a suspicion that they would be leaving that night.

John knew that the boys were going to take off also but he didn't know what he could do about it. After his abduction and possession by the demon, he had become worried about his two last gifts from his wife. Like Bobby, he planned to stay downstairs to make sure they didn't sneak out of the house without him. He even entertained a notion about tying them to their beds but he had a feeling they could get out of any knot he could tie. Then, he thought about locking them in the Panic Room. It had many sigils and was made of salted iron but he really didn't know if that would work on them. Finally, he decided, unknowingly like Caleb, to hide in the Impala every night until they left.

For the rest of the day after the meeting, the family was having a nice time being together for the first time. Sam had met and got to know his half-brother Adam and Kate, his mother. Adam liked Sam from the first but Kate was a bit nervous around him since she had helped bring him back from the Institute. Even though the situation had been explained to her, she still had a bit of doubt about Sam's sanity, especially after watching Dean's actions around his brother. Dean never let Sam get too far from him, preferring to keep physical contact with his brother. At dinner, Dean sat next to Sam and fed him like a toddler. The rest of the family acted as though it was normal but, to Kate, it signified something terribly wrong. Kate tried to keep Adam as close to her as possible not knowing how much it hurt Sam when she did that.

Dean was a bit impatient with everyone. Not only were he and Sam surrounded by the family at all times but the others didn't go to bed until very late. They had to wait until everyone was sound asleep before sneaking out of the house. Contrary to Bobby's plan about catching them when they snuck out the front, they packed up what they would need in the way of clothes, weapons, and other necessities, especially Sam's laptop, then picking everything up, they teleported out to the car. They put their stuff in the trunk and went to the front seat without looking in the back. If they had, they would have noticed a particularly lumpy blanket that covered John, Caleb and their duffles. Once seated, the brothers clasped hands and concentrated. In a flash of light, the car disappeared from the Yard only to reappear at a motel close to Daniel Elkins' cabin.

"_Do you want to get a room or should we just go to Elkins now?_" Dean asked Sam. When they were alone, all their communications were telepathic, like the first few years of Sam's life.

"_Can you feel them, the vampires? I think we need to go to the cabin now. I think the vampires are out to get Elkins_," Sam responded.

"_Okay, baby brother. Let's get the machetes out now so we aren't fumbling around if they attack_," Dean said, thoughtfully. Sam grinned then got out to get the machetes from the trunk. When he came back, Dean started the car and drove to the cabin.

At the sound of the Impala's engines starting, Caleb and John woke up from the doze they had drifted into. Dean put in a tape of Metallica and was singing to the music while he drove. John thought to himself, "They are going to kill us when they find out." A second after he thought that, the car's brakes slammed down and the two in the back went flying.

Two car doors opened and slammed shut before the back doors flew open. "Dad? Caleb? What the Hell?" Dean growled as Sam just pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"_Why didn't you stay where it was safe?_" Sam asked the two abashed family members.

"Uh, well…" Caleb tried.

"I, uh, didn't want to, um, well you see…" John also couldn't put his thoughts into words. Thoughts such as I didn't want you to die alone or even at all and I want to make sure that Mary's last gifts to me didn't disappear drifted through John's mind. Somehow, the brothers knew what was in their hearts and, after some silent communication, Sam went to the trunk and drew out two more machetes as Dean explained how to kill vampires since the others never Hunted them. When the other two were armed, the brothers got back into the car and started to go to Elkins.

When they got there, John was the one who went to the door. He had had some dealings with the older Hunter and knew he could be…well difficult was a word for it, obstinate was the better one. After he knocked, he gestured for the others to hide their machetes, thinking that Elkins wouldn't appreciate armed men at his door. After a couple of minutes, the door was cracked open and Elkins peered out.

"Go away!" he snarled then tried to slam the door shut. John, though, was quick and put his body on the threshold to stop the action. Elkins glared at John who smirked back. "Fine! Come in if you have to," he growled.

"Happy as usual, I see," John grinned.

"Screw you Winchester. What brings you here?" Elkins asked as he walked back to his desk where a glass of bourbon waited. He poured four more glasses and offered them to the others, then he watched as they took a drink. Sam grimaced at the taste since he didn't drink much.

"The gun that Samuel Colt built," John came to the point quickly.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Elkins frowned.

"Yes, you do," Dean finally spoke up. "You've had it in your family ever since an ancestor of yours worked at a bar. He watched as a man killed a phoenix with it and, when Colt came to get it a few days later, he gave it to your ancestor to keep until some men came to get it. Your ancestor had written the instructions down in a journal and kept it in the family along with the gun and a jar filled with phoenix ashes." Elkins face paled as he heard the truth in that voice. "We need the gun now, Elkins. If you don't give it to us, then we'll take it from the vampires who are coming to kill you. If you do give it to us, we'll stick around to help you out. Your choice." Dean's voice was cold and piercing. John, Caleb and Elkins could see the power that coursed through his whole being. It increased when Sam came to stand by his brother's side, his glasses off and his gaze was just as piercing as Dean's voice.

"How did you know?" Elkins asked in a whisper.

Instead of answering the question, Dean asked one of his own, "Did you know old Samuel had children who died before the oldest was seven?" Elkins shook his head. "Nobody does, really. You see, he had been living with a Native American woman while he worked on the gun and she had two sons, a couple of years apart. Some of his so-called friends didn't like the fact he had kids who were, well the term back then was half-breeds. Not very nice, let me tell you. Well, these friends waited until Colt went back East to meet up with his brother and while he was gone, they burned the cabin down with Colt's family in it. When he got back, they said that the cabin burned down because, they thought, a candle had fallen and caught some blankets on fire while the family slept. Before he went East, though, he had told his boys about his gun and what it was for. Elkins, that gun is for killing demons but more than that, it's the key to a Gate of Hell that Colt had protected by making a very large devil's trap around it. No demon could get close to open it and no demon, if it was opened, could get out."

Elkins jumped at the soft touch of Sam's mind against his, "_You're ancestor's grandson had twin girls who died from an outbreak of cholera when they were ten. Their father used to read to them every night out of one of three books: your ancestor's journal, Colt's journal and the Bible. From the time they were old enough to walk, he drilled the legend and the promise into them and their brother. The sisters died but their brother lived on to pass the instructions down to his son and so on all the way to you. We know this because we were Colt's sons and your great, great, great aunts in past lives. Tell us we're wrong._"

Elkins had never believed in reincarnation until now when it was hitting him in the face, "You're not wrong. Colt wanted you two to have his gun?" Dean and Sam both nodded. "Okay, I guess. Will you need his journal and the phoenix ash? I only ask since they ended up in Samuel Campbell's possession a long time ago."

"No, we know what's in the journal and the phoenix ash isn't needed now. Hopefully, we won't need it at all if we do this right," Dean answered.

Caleb was very curious, "What's the phoenix ash for?"

Dean grinned and said, "It's used to send the mother of all monsters back to Purgatory, if she decides to come here. One of the timelines Sammy could see was that an Angel and Demon were working together to open the Door to Purgatory by gathering and torturing Alphas. Eve, the mother, got pissed and she had some Dragons make a sacrifice to her by throwing a virgin into a fiery pit to give her a Vessel to use. Since we were born, that possible timeline is now precarious. We've changed many of what should have been when I took Sammy from the hospital after the fire."

"I'm glad but I really wish I could have been part of your lives more than what I had been," John mourned. Sam, feeling his pain, went over to his father and held him in an effort to comfort him.

After a few minutes, John gave Sam a squeeze and nodded. Clearing his throat, he then said, "We need to get ready for the vampires that are on the way here. Elkins, you Hunted them before. What can you tell us about them besides you having to behead them to kill 'em?"

Thus appealed to, Elkins warmed to his subject fast, "Dead man's blood will paralyze them while Holy Water won't do a thing but get them wet. They can move around in the day, contrary to popular belief, but they are weaker then. Their eyesight is superior to ours as is their senses of smell and hearing plus they are very fast and strong. Sunlight only gives them a light burn but it won't harm them otherwise."

"How about a stake through the heart, silver or garlic?" Caleb asked.

"Garlic is a seasoning to them, just like it is to us. Silver doesn't affect them and a stake through the heart just irritates them," Elkins responded with a grin. It had been years since he taught anybody about his favorite prey. Knowing that there was going to be a fight later, he got up and made a pot of coffee for his "guests". While he did so, Dean went to John and Caleb to disguise their scents. He didn't want to warn the vampires that Elkins had company because then they wouldn't attack that night but would wait. Touching his family, Dean removed their scents temporarily then went back beside his brother and sat down.

Elkins brought mugs of coffee and sat down again. The Hunters passed the time waiting by talking about past Hunts and some of Sam's visions. Sam revealed that Ash had found the Hell Gate in Wyoming and emailed the information to Sam's laptop. He had also scanned the Internet for demonic signs and found that there was a heavy concentration around a deserted town called Cold Oak, purported to be the most haunted town in America. It made sense to the others that Azazel would choose that town to be the sight of the competition between his children. The biggest challenge the Hunters had was to figure out where and when they went after Azazel.

If they waited until after the competition, then all but one child would be dead and some of those kids weren't under the demonic influence even though they had powers. If they went to the competition, there was a chance Azazel wouldn't be there then they would have blown the element of surprise and a chance to kill him. Sam then brought up if they started to contact the children before the competition, which would be the best bet, but would entail a lot of exposure to possible demonic attack. Dean knew that his brother was thinking of the dream he had where John sold his soul for Dean and died due to an automobile/truck accident.

John finally cut to the chase, "Look, we know that you had changed some things already just by being born and raised by Bobby. You had stopped Meg from killing Jim, Caleb and Joshua so the timeline has already been skewed. Who's to say that I will be possessed again where you have to shoot me after I beat the hell out of Dean? Who's to say that, while on the road we are hit by a truck? Too many things have changed maybe this is one of them through the ripple effect."

"_I get visions of things that will happen. Dean knows about them and that's why I'm trying to keep you safe,_" Sam's mind whispered. "_This isn't one of those things that have changed yet. I don't want you hurt and I definitely don't want you in Hell, being tortured. That's what will happen._"

Caleb finally thought of something Sam had forgotten in his anguish, "Sam, as the Omega (Elkins eyebrows rose at that), you have the power to heal. Is there anything you can't heal? Like extreme injuries?"

"_The only time I can't heal someone is when it is their time to die. In my dream, because of the injuries to Dean, a reaper had come for him only to be turned away by Azazel and DJ's deal. I wouldn't be able to head my brother,_" Sam's heart hurt at the thought of losing his brother again.

Elkins, who had been thinking furiously, finally pointed to Sam and asked, "You are the Omega?" Sam nodded. Then he turned to Dean and asked, "Alpha?" Dean nodded in wonder. Very few people would have known even that much. Elkins thought some more then said, "Okay, here's what's going to happen. You two get your family back to where ever is the safest for them and I'll come with to help you with that bastard's kids. I heard about a demon who had fed his blood to six month old babies but I never believed that that made the kids automatically evil, unlike some other Hunters I know. We should be able to help get some of those kids to safety before the competition." He thought some more then spoke again, "There are six bullets left in the Colt. If it comes to me being possessed by this Azazel, you are to shoot me dead. If that doesn't work, then while we are in the hospital, instead of calling the demon, I'll summon the reaper and offer myself in Dean's place." Seeing the coming arguments, he held up his hand and continued, "Let me do that for you." He pointed to the brothers and said with a grin, "You two make funny-looking girls but you still are family, reincarnated or not. It'll be a privilege to die for such a worthy cause instead of old age or at the hands of vampires."

Everyone nodded, moved at the man's bravery for people he really didn't know. For the rest of the time, they sat in silence. Around 2 am, they started to move, John and Caleb hiding while the boys went into an adjoining room. Elkins sat at his desk, waiting for his unexpected, expected guests. Fifteen minutes later, the occupants of the cabin heard a truck pull up outside and doors slam shut. Show time, Elkins thought as he put his head down on his desk like he had passed out. The door burst open and seven vampires, including the alpha of the nest, swarmed in. The waiting men let the all the vampires get in before Caleb slammed the door shut and Elkins sprung up from behind his desk, obviously not as drunk as they thought he was. John came out of his room, wielding his machete and cut off the head of the nearest vampire while Caleb took one down also. Elkins, not unarmed himself, swung a Bowie knife and killed the alpha's mate. When the alpha saw that, he screamed loudly and jumped for Elkins only to be thrown back by Sam's telekinesis.

The four remaining vampires froze as Sam and Dean appeared in the room. Dean had his sword out while Sam's glasses were in place as he held scales in his left hand. The nest's alpha blanched as he realized who the two were and tried to get the remaining members of his nest to the nearest exit only to find it blocked by John and Caleb. The alpha whirled back to the brothers, prepared to beg for his life when he saw the scales moving of their own accord. He paled when he saw the scales weigh against him and the shorter of the males moved towards him, sword up and ready to use. Swiftly, the alpha moved to grab the taller male when he realized that male had stopped him by putting his right hand on his chest. He felt a burning sensation where the hand was and he looked down to realize he was burning on the inside. He burned while the others were beheaded and the last sight he saw was the shorter male swinging his sword down on him and blissful darkness overtook him.

Dean put his sword away and approached Sam. Moving his brother so he was facing him, Dean put Sam's head on his chest and held him there. Elkins, having heard legends about a very rare pair of elementals, watched in awe as John and Caleb moved around to pack all his stuff. "Where's the gun and bullets?" John asked the older Hunter gently.

"What? Oh, yeah I'll get them," Elkins said and moved shakily to a floor safe. It took a couple of tries but he was able to open the safe and extracted the needed weapon. Giving it to John, he said, "Make sure you put this in a safe place for them. Once it leaves here, there will be a 'pulse' if you will, in the Supernatural world telling every demon and monster it had been taken from its safe spot." John nodded then went out to the Impala. Opening the trunk with the keys he had lifted from Dean, he put the Colt in the weapons locker he found there that had been warded with protective sigils. When he got back in the cabin, Elkins had everything packed that he wanted to bring with while Caleb salted the corpses. Dean was spreading gasoline around with Sam attached to his side. John was very proud of his sons but sad because he knew he and Caleb were going to be back at the Salvage Yard, away from his precious boys.

When they were done with their tasks, Sam and Dean gathered the others in their arms and said goodbye. The sound of wings filled the air as Castiel appeared in the cabin, ready to take the stowaways home. "Keep them safe for us Cas," Dean said. The Angel nodded and put his hand on their shoulders. With that, they disappeared and the brothers prayed they would see their family members again. Then, picking up Elkins' belongings, they herded their new friend out of the cabin. When they got to the Impala, Sam turned around and, with a flick of his fingers, the cabin burst into flames.

Elkins and the brothers entered the Impala, the boys in front while the aged Hunter sat in the back. As they drove away, Dean asked the man, "How do you know about us?"

"I wondered when you were going to ask," Elkins grinned. "See, my granddaddy was in WWII and he ran into an Earth Elemental on Okinawa. She had been trapped in a mine field and Granddaddy helped her out of it. They became very close friends, if you get my meaning. He would tell her about himself and the family while she talked about her family. Well sir, one evening they were talking about everything and anything when the talk got around to her kind. By this time, she had come to trust him a lot even though before the war he had been a Hunter. She told him all about elementals, all nine kinds of them. He had been surprised, of course, since it was well-known that there were eight types of elementals but she was insistent and told him about the ninth. She said that the Alpha and Omega were the only two of the ninth in existence and they were reborn every so often. She said they stood for justice and that was what the statue in the courthouses were based on.

"Granddaddy fell in love with her and he had her go to America to wait for him. What he didn't know was that she had become pregnant with my father so when he got home, he had a big surprise waiting. The next thing he did was propose to her and they lived together for fifty years. When Granddaddy died, she chose to go with him. Sad day in our lives, let me tell you."

"Do you have any of the Earth Elemental in you?" Dean asked curiously.

"I'm only a quarter Elemental so I don't have the immortality like a full-blooded one does but I can help out the crops and trees of my neighbors. I also have great reflexes and speed but I sorta drank most of it away after my wife and kid were killed by vampires. That was the reason why I got back into Hunting. The only family I have now is my sister and her family so the family bloodline won't die out, thank God." Something struck Elkins as he thought about what he had just said. He asked, "Have you two seen God? I mean, does He really exist?"

Sam grinned at the question. It was one he was wondering why nobody else had ever asked, "_We've never seen God in His true form. It's a bit too much even for us but we do see Him in all his other forms and we hear His voice too. We can recognize Him anywhere, no matter what disguise He is wearing._"

Dean picked up the answer, "Only the Archangels, Virtues, and those of the first Circle have actually seen the true form of God. Everyone else have only seen a couple of aspects of Him. Because He isn't always recognized, many Angels believe that God had left Heaven and won't go back. They want to start the apocalypse simply because it would bring God back to them, or so they think_._"

"_What they don't know is that God is everywhere and in everything_," Sam finished for his brother.

"You said you have heard His voice. How?" Elkins wanted to know.

Dean was the one to answer first, "We've heard Him through other people or beings. He has a lot to say, you just have to listen to it."

"_We heard His voice the first time when Mom sang to us then when DJ said he loved us. Dad also was used as His voice as was our uncles, brothers, aunts and cousins_," Sam put his two cents in.

"I think I hear His voice now," Elkins said then laughed when he saw the twin red faces of the Alpha and Omega. It effectively stopped the conversation for quite a while.

At the first motel, the trio stopped and got a room. Instead of sleeping, the two younger Hunters had little need of it now, they strategized on the best method to get rid of Azazel. Dean came up with the best plan. With the help of Elkins, they were going to make a very large demon's trap around Cold Oaks. Elkins may not have as much power as a pure Earth Elemental but he did have contacts and some power of his own. Dean told Elkins that they needed to get a circle of iron around the ghost town and five iron points that were equidistant from each other set on the circle. While that was going on, Dean would be inscribing sigils around the circle to dampen the powers of Azazel's children and Sam would be inscribing the sigils to call then keep Azazel within the trap. When Azazel was trapped, the Alpha and Omega would go into the town to finish the Fallen Angel once and for all. When Elkins asked if they were going to get divine help, Dean shook his head and explained that their "buddies" helped out only with incidental things but the quest was and has always been theirs. Castiel, he told Elkins, was a great warrior in his own right but he had to sit this one out. Sam looked down before Elkins could catch the look on the young man's face. Theirs was a potential suicide mission and they both knew it but they didn't want to tell the older Hunter since they knew he would try to either talk them out of it or take their place and die.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSD

Ava watched as six more children appeared in the main street of Cold Oaks. She had been there for months, killing off any kid that was brought to the town and learning how to use her powers effectively. As she listened, she could hear them introduce themselves: Jake, Lily, Andy, Anson, Max, and Scott were confused about why they were there, especially Jake since he had gone to sleep in the Middle East and woke up in the MidWest. She watched as Lily broke from the group and ran to the outer limits of the town and laughed. Quietly, she called up a demon and told it where it could find the woman who was trying to leave, then she went out to meet the rest of the new arrivals.

As Ava told her story to the others, a man appeared in the middle of the street by the group. Ava knew he was the one who had been talking to her in her sleep, telling her how strong she was and how much he loved watching her work. He called her his favorite. The others jumped back as his eyes flashed yellow. "Who called me here?" he demanded to know. Before anyone could answer, two more young men appeared just a block away. The taller one wore glasses and held scales in his left hand. He stood to the left of the shorter one who held a sword in his right hand. The shorter one kept his eyes closed.

"Awww, isn't that sweet? Sammy here as well. Good, but your brother gotta go champ," the yellow-eyed man waved his hand and frowned as if something had gone wrong. It had but he was still a few minutes away from finding out what it was.

As Ava tried to move towards the duo with the words of summoning in her mind, the shorter man held his left hand out towards her and the words she needed to speak to summon the other demon were frozen in her head. She shook it but the words still wouldn't come out. She looked at the short man and he smirked at her then turned his attention back to the yellow-eyed man. "You should know better than to let one of your kids take either one of us on," he said with a grin. Then he said formally, "Azazel, you are under judgment for trying to open Lucifer's cage without consent. You have conspired to go against that which God had given to humans and that is free will. All of these children had been fed your blood when they were six months old, too young to consent to anything."

"I did it to your brother, also," Azazel said with a sneer.

"Yeah, you did but you really should have checked to see if he had a soul then. You really shouldn't have been paying so much attention to our mom when you gutted her or you would have seen me there," the short man replied. Azazel blanched at the words. "You don't know who or what we are, do you? Seeing that we were made after you Fell."

The tall man moved for the first time. His left hand that held the scales, came forward and the scales seemed to move on their own. He spoke for the first time. His voice was deep, ancient and as loud as a thunder clap. "You have been judged, Angel. Your punishment is to be final."

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Azazel yelled at the pair. The short man opened his eyes and the group gasped when they saw his eyes; they were green. Not just green but all of the eyes were green with no white showing. Then the tall one took off his glasses and his eyes were the same but they were hazel. Both men's eyes were luminous and seemed to stare into the souls of everyone there.

Together, the men answered, "We are the Alpha and the Omega, answerable to the Virtues. We are Justice personified and you have been judged." The shorter man said by himself, "There are those here who have not lost their souls to evil yet. They must leave." The taller one snapped his fingers and the group of children who had just arrived, disappeared in a flash of light. Ava was the only one left and she was still stuck, silent, in one spot. The shorter man nodded and said, "There are those who need to be here that are not." The taller one snapped his fingers again and three people appeared. One was a blonde woman, another was an African-American man and the third was a middle aged man who looked like a pediatrician.

"All of you are accused of trying to free Lucifer from his Cage before it was time. You have conspired to harm children and caused the deaths of many six-month old babies when they were marked. You have conspired to take these children's free will away from them and making them fight for the honor of being Lucifer's vessel even though you knew that only Abel's souled vessel would do so you, Uriel, tried to force the rebirths of Cain and Abel. You, Azazel, didn't know who the child would be that housed Abel's soul so you marked many children in order to find that one prized soul. Ruby, you conspired to be the Temptress and get the child addicted to your blood so they would open the final seal. Alastair, you conspired to break the righteous man after he made a deal for a family member's life. It fell to you to get him to spill blood in Hell thus breaking the first seal.

"And you Ava, you were given the short end of the straw when you were fed Azazel's blood as a baby but when you were brought here, you became aggressive just to stay alive. That in itself wouldn't get you here to be judged but you had a chance to prove your humanity when Lily wanted to leave. You could have let her walk but instead, you sent an Achiri Demon to kill her. Even so, you have been manipulated and deceived. Your soul still has a spark of humanity in it therefore you have a chance for forgiveness. How say you?" the short man asked.

"Think carefully," warned the tall man.

Looking into those luminous hazel eyes that seemed to reach into her soul, Ava saw both vengeance and forgiveness, depending on her choice. She considered the power that she now had verses the life she once wanted, a husband and children with a home of her own. The power was cold but addictive while the thoughts of family made her tremble in fear. She was never afraid when using her powers, it gave her warm, fuzzy feelings that the future of family never gave her. Her mind made up, she looked at the tall man and said, "I choose power." Then she let loose with telekinesis, trying to knock him off his feet.

Sam withstood the lash of power and let one loose himself, knocking the woman into a building behind her. "You chose unwisely," he said in his very low voice which pulsed with power. While Sam's attention was on Ava, the others chose that time to bring out their own weapons. Ruby unsheathed a knife with carvings on it, one that was designed to kill other demons. Alastair brought out his own favorite knife while Azazel and Uriel let their Angel Swords drop into their hands.

With a silent warning to his brother whose scales disappeared and a sword appeared in his right hand, Dean hastily went over to stand back to back with Sam. Alastair and Ruby were the first to attack the pair with Alastair going after Dean while Ruby viciously attacked Sam. Uriel and Azazel stood back to watch and wait. They knew that, even if the Winchesters won, they would be tired or so the pair believed. What they didn't know was what the Winchesters were. Azazel had Fallen before they had been made and the Virtues made their existence a well-kept secret that only a few others knew about.

Dean and Alastair went toe to toe with Dean ducking and weaving while Alastair used his knife as a serpent's tooth, striking whenever possible. Ruby avoided Sam's sword but not as easily as she thought she would and Sam scored a cut on her knife arm. Sam's eyes went to the cut momentarily and Ruby thought she had him until his mouth tightened in disgust and he plunged his sword into her heart as Dean cut Alastair's head off. Immediately, though, Uriel and Azazel were there to engage the brothers. Now the fighting was even more vicious and faster.

Azazel went after Dean in retribution for screwing up his plans for Sam. The first thing he tried was to throw Dean into a building but found that his powers were useless against him. Dean felt the tug of power on him but threw it off effortlessly and went after Azazel with his sword. His challenge was answered and their swords moved so quickly, it looked as though they were handling flashes of lights. Uriel was fighting the "abomination", as he called Sam to his face but the Hunter had a perfect poker face on and didn't let the Angel's words touch him. Instead, he circled the being, looking for weaknesses and openings. Uriel's patience wore out very quickly and he attacked. Feinting to the right, he slashed at Sam's left shoulder, trying to incapacitate the human but Sam was quicker than Uriel had expected.

Ava watched the combatants carefully. She knew that the tall man's pronouncement was a death sentence so she vowed that she would strike first before he could kill her. The African-American man was formidable but the tall man was slowly pushing his own advantages. What happened was a fluke. The tall man was able to thrust his sword into the other man's chest but his sword became slightly stuck. Ava took the chance and, picking up the dead woman's knife, she snuck up behind the tall man. She never heard the mental warning that Dean had given his brother seconds before she struck but it was enough for Sam to turn, throwing her strike off from being fatal to being a critical wound. Azazel was shocked and distracted enough that Dean was able to swing his sword to strike the demon's head off. He plunged his sword into the corpse's heart for good measure then turned his attention to the bitch who had hurt his baby brother.

Ava found out exactly what Dean was when he shed his human form for the first time. The Alpha, in his full glory stood tall, around seven feet with wings that were a combination of hazel and emerald green. His eyes glowed and his skin glittered with a golden hue. Ava backed up in fright as the figure advanced on her. She turned to run but a sharp pain entered her back and she looked down to see a sword blade sticking out of her chest. It withdrew as she watched then she looked down to find a hand touching her wrist. A burning sensation started at the site of the touch. She watched as the burn, the inner fire that had been lit under her skin, traveled up her arm and to the rest of her body. She felt an intense pain as the fire burned her from the inside.

The last thing she saw before going to Hell, was the short man looking like he had originally holding the tall man to his chest and whispering in his ear. A flash of light and she was left burning into ash, alone with just corpses around her.

_A/N-Nothing I had read about Mr. Colt did suggested that he had lived with a Native American woman at any time during his life. This is a pure fabrication on my part. The information I found about Mr. Samuel Colt can be found on my favorite research site: Wikipedia._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve-Home Again

It had been almost a year since Daniel Elkins had driven the Impala to Bobby's Yard to tell the worried family about the battle their sons have been in. Elkins, who had heard part of it from the shell shocked young people who accompanied him to the Yard and the other part of the story was told to him by two men claiming to be Angels. The family was proud of their sons' bravery and abilities to get the job done but they were upset when they heard that Sam had been wounded. Because of the bond they shared with the boys, the family knew that Sam was still alive, barely but still alive.

Three days after Elkins' visit, Castiel dropped in on the family to explain that, while Sam and Dean were not truly human but Elementals, they were just as mortal as any human on the planet albeit ones that were extremely hard to kill. Instead of being granted immortality, the Alpha and the Omega had been granted reincarnation since it was actually dangerous to have them on Earth all the time. Justice, he said, could easily be perverted into Retribution. With a limited life span, there was little chance that Sam and Dean would turn evil. The wound that Sam had sustained, Castiel admitted, was life threatening and, as such, Dean had taken him to a very special place-a sanctuary that was very protected from evil since Sam was vulnerable now. That Dean was protective of his brother was the Alpha showing in all his glory. Castiel put the family's fears for Sam's safety to rest by saying that Dean would fight and kill anything that got too close to his brother now.

Bobby's nerves, though, were getting very thin and frayed. He missed his babies and wanted them back now, especially since it was coming up to a date that the three of them had always celebrated, the day that they became family when he had found them in the woods. Everyone knew what Bobby was feeling so they kept their distance, trying to give him space. Caleb was the only one who dared to get close to Bobby during the days leading up to the anniversary.

Two days before the special day, Bobby felt the urge to go deer hunting and not just anywhere would do. It had to be the place where he had found the boys originally. Bobby didn't question the urge, just packed his truck and, taking John and Caleb, went hunting. When they got to the woods, Bobby parked in the same spot he had years ago and led the way. By the time the small group stopped for lunch, it was about three in the afternoon. Bobby looked around and spotted a fallen tree. Going over to it, he groaned as he lowered his body to sit down. John watched with humor in his eyes before joining his "brother". Caleb just rolled his eyes and muttered something about "fossils" as he unpacked sandwiches and water from his pack. He went over to the other men and offered them some refreshments which were received with heartfelt thanks.

"Bobby?" John asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Yeah," Bobby answered.

"Um, don't get mad but why here? There are plenty of places around Sioux Falls to hunt," John wondered.

Bobby thought and decided to share a bit of personal history with both men. "It was around here that I found Sam and Dean, cute little dickenses, too. For some reason, I felt the need to be out here but I don't know exactly why. I just had the feeling that, in the next day or two, something is going to happen and I needed to be _here_, of all places."

"That's why the tent and sleeping bags instead of staying at a motel," Caleb said thoughtfully. "Okay, where do you want to set up camp?"

"Here's good," Bobby replied with the past in his eyes. Caleb and John started to set up the tent and gather wood for a fire. By the time camp was up and running, Bobby had shaken off the past to get up and help them. Watching the stars by firelight was homey and relaxing to the men. Finally, Caleb banked the fire and joined the two other men in the tent. Bobby kept dreaming of the boys all night. Sam was feverish, in many of his dreams he kept calling out for his daddy while Dean frantically tried to keep his brother cool. In another of his dreams, Sam was leaning against Dean while walking in a meadow filled with flowers and herbs. The buzzing of the insects were loud and the scent of nettles heavy on the air. Sam stumbled a few times but Dean kept encouraging his brother to "put one foot in front of the other". Bobby watched as Dean kept after his brother, nursing him through the wounds that had almost taken his life. He saw Sam taking his own, wobbling steps like he was learning how to walk. Then he watched as Sam's gait got better, less unsure. He saw the boys running and playing, Dean worrying whenever his brother fell.

Bobby saw the boys hunting, fishing and gathering foods from the meadow. He was proud of the way Dean took care of his baby brother, making sure Sam was okay. He was proud of the way Sam took care of Dean, watching over him and worrying about his big brother's health. The last dream, though, had him in awe. He finally saw two beings, one with full green, glowing eyes and the other with luminous hazel eyes. Both of them were seven feet tall with wings that were a combination of emerald and hazel. Their skin was a golden color that glittered in the sunlight. They were beautiful and Bobby knew, even in his sleep, this vision was a gift from his sons.

The men woke up to the smell of breakfast on the fire. Coffee bubbled merrily while freshly caught fish sizzled to perfection. Next to the fire pit were apples and cranberries. A loaf of nut bread and some sauce for the fish rounded out the meal. The three men looked at each other in confusion then Bobby, noticing the coffee was done, took it from the fire and poured himself a cup. Taking a mouthful, he savored the bitter taste and swallowed. After watching him for a few seconds, John and Caleb also helped themselves to the beverage. It was easier after that to accept the meal from the unknown source. After breakfast and a quick wash, the men took their guns and went hunting.

Bobby was able to get his buck that morning but John and Caleb still didn't have one so they decided to dress the deer they already got and try for another one the next day. They were able to bleed and clean the buck then put it in a tree for safe keeping. Bobby buried the organs in a hole some distance away from their camp just to be on the safe side. Nobody wanted some wolves or even a bear in the camp looking for the rest of the deer.

That night, all three men had dreams about their missing family members. They woke up with cheeks stiff from tears, knowing that their loved ones were fine but still not with them. This time, the boys interacted with them, answering questions about how they were and what they had been doing all this time. Sam had indeed almost died from the injury inflicted by Ava. While he couldn't heal either of the boys, Castiel was able to bring them the supplies they needed for Sam. Balthazar made sure the equipment worked, even out in the "boonies" as Dean put it. Sam had been on a ventilator and heart monitor for two weeks as he was in a self-induced healing coma. Dean had followed his brother into the coma to lend his support and strength with Balthazar standing guard over the pair until they woke up.

Sam couldn't walk at first. The injury had come close to the spine, causing swelling and paralysis. Because Sam was who and what he was, the paralysis was temporary. If he had been fully human, he would never have walked again, Dean told his family. It took a couple of months for Sam to be able to crawl then walk again. If he had gone to a hospital, they would have put him through physical therapy and may have gotten the young man on his feet sooner but Sam insisted on doing things his way which was to roll on his back, then crawl then walk, just like he had when he first learned how.

The family learned why the boys chose to go into seclusion to heal instead of going back to the Yard. Sam, whenever he got frustrated, would lash out at the closest things to him. Dean told the men how, when Sam fell for the third time in a row one day, he had thrown Dean into a wall hard enough to punch a hole in it. Dean had a broken scapula because of that move. Sam had felt so bad about his brother's broken bone that he pulled himself up onto his feet and tottered over to Dean. Putting his hand on the shoulder, he healed his brother's hurts then started to cry. Dean was ever forgiving, knowing that Sam didn't mean it. He held his brother until Sam was all cried out and had fallen asleep against his chest. That was just one example out of many that Dean could have told them but he didn't want them to be afraid of Sam.

The rest of the hunting trip was like the first couple of days. The men would wake up to breakfast. They went hunting where both John and Caleb got their bucks. And they dreamed of their two missing family members. By the time they got ready to leave, their hearts and souls had been healed of the hurts they carried because of the absence of Sam and Dean.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSD

It was Christmas and as much as Bobby had decorated his house and bought presents, he wasn't into celebrating without his boys next to him. He had loved the way that Sammy's face lit up the first Christmas they had celebrated together. Dean's eyes gleamed with tears as he watched his beloved brother dive into the gifts under the tree with such abandon. Sam, having seen the look in his brother's eyes, grabbed Dean and made him join in on the fun. Tears fell from Bobby's eyes as he remembered the pure, unadulterated joy that the two tiny boys had brought into his and Caleb's life that year. Jim dropped in during the afternoon for dinner and stayed until the day after New Year's. The next saw Missouri, Joshua and Rufus joining in on the family's fun. Each Christmas was more special than the last until three years ago, the first Christmas where the whole family wasn't there. It had broken Bobby's heart more than he ever said and each missing Holiday after that broke him even more.

After the hunting trip, he had been hopeful that the boys would be coming home before Thanksgiving but they never showed up and Bobby started to become depressed. Caleb tried everything he could to boost Bobby's feelings but, as precious as he was to his father, he couldn't be what Bobby wanted, his other two sons home. Bobby tried, though. He pulled himself out of his funk to decorate the house, get presents and even plan a meal for the others' pleasure. It would be special since it would be Jo and Ash's baby's first Christmas. Scott and Lily would be coming also. Lily was in her sixth month and she tired easily so Bobby made sure he had a nice, soft place for her all ready. Andy, Anson, Max, Adam, Josh, Jim, Missouri, Rufus, John and Kate would all be there also but the two that meant the most to Bobby probably wouldn't be and that just hurt.

When Bobby woke up that morning, he thought that Caleb had went downstairs before him and started breakfast. Coffee, eggs, toast and bacon scents were heavy in the air along with cinnamon buns. There was a distinctive feeling of lightness and love in the air that he hadn't felt in over a year. Getting up quickly, he got dressed and went into the kitchen where he found breakfast waiting for everyone but nothing else. There was nobody in there so he went to the living room where the tree was lit up and there were many presents under the tree. Castiel and Balthazar stood next to it, with tinsel in their hands and a puzzled look on their faces.

"What are you two doing?" Bobby wanted to know.

"What is the purpose of these strands of tinsel going on an indoor tree decorated with ornaments and lights?" Castiel asked puzzled. "I understand the presents but the meaning of the tree eludes me."

"Cassie, it's pretty so just enjoy. The tree is actually part of an ancient celebration that is now part of Christmas. I just think the lights are pretty," Balthazar answered.

"But what is the purpose of it?" Castiel persisted.

"I'm not sure," Bobby began, "I know that the tradition goes back to at least Germany but there have been speculation that it goes back to Ancient Egypt and even a Chinese tradition of tree worship but nobody really knows why the tradition started. The Christmas Tree was called Yule Tree at one point."

"But, why do you bring a tree into your house, decorate it then put wrapped packages under it?" Castiel was very confused. "And why the star or Angel on top of it?"

A new voice sounded in the room. The three beings turned around to see Gabriel standing behind them, "Part of the reason is that humans recreate the giving of gifts to the Christ Child. This is the day they acknowledge the part of Dad that is in them. The Angel and the Star signifies guidance while the tree symbolizes the Tree of Life. The lights and tinsel are the stars in the sky. They bring a bit of Heaven in their homes. Should be all the time but this is a very special day. Humans celebrate the anniversary of His birth on this day."

Castiel nodded slowly then asked, "Is that the reason for wrapping our own presents?"

Balthazar answered with a laugh, "Yes, Cassie. That is the reason we wrapped our presents this time. Should we give them to Bobby?" Castiel nodded with a twinkle in his eyes. Gabriel grinned then snapped his fingers. Two very large gifts appeared in the room. Bobby was given a pair of scissors and was told to unwrap the packages.

"Shouldn't I wait until the others are up?" he asked uncertainly.

"Actually, you need to unwrap them now," Gabriel said with a grin. Bobby shrugged then started to cut the paper off the first package. When the paper finally fell off, Bobby was shocked. The Angels had wrapped Dean as a gift for his family. Giving his son a hard hug, he turned to the other package, sure about what that one contained. He found he was correct as he uncovered Sam whose smile was infectious.

"M…m…merry Christmas," the young man stuttered, his voice rusty with disuse. Bobby's eyes filled with tears as he pulled his sons to him.

Christmas was full of joy as the family celebrated its completion. Dean took Bobby aside and let him know that, even though he and Sam had a duty to do, they would never leave the family for very long.

The Alpha and the Omega had completed one of their tasks, to stop the Apocalypse before it could even begin. There would be other tasks for them but, for now, they had earned their rest. They chose to do it with the family they had fought for and, that for the family, was the best gift they had ever received. For the rest of the day, the house rang with laughter, love and song with the other members of the family not allowing the two young men out of their sights. That night, Bobby, Caleb, and John insisted that the boys sleep in the living room with the others surrounding them. It would be a very long time before anyone let those two out of their sights. Not that they were complaining.

_Some more A/N-the meaning of the Christmas tree and it's decorations are my own interpretation with a bit of Wikipedia thrown in. _

_When Sam or Dean call John DJ, its actually meant as Daddy John, a way for the boys to give John the honorific title while distinguishing him from Bobby._

_I got the idea of a ninth elemental type from watching Law and Order, Criminal Minds and other situational cop shows. One of the things they all had in common was justice and the court scenes usually had the Lady Justice statue somewhere around whether it was outside the building or inside._

_This story is complete and I doubt that I will write a sequel to it. Please read and review to let me know what you think of my story. _


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